Broken Arrow Police Say Attempted Abduction Likely 'Misinterpreted'

Broken Arrow police say their investigation shows an attempted abduction report made earlier this week may have been "exaggerated or misinterpreted."

Police say a child's father flagged down an officer August 20 in the area of 6200 South Elm. The father said someone approached his 11-year-old daughter and tried to get her into their vehicle. 

“She immediately screamed and then she turned around and she ran back home,” the father told News On 6.  “She was kind of in a state of shock, so I told her to calm down and explain to me what happened.”

That reported incident led to a social media post that caused confusion about a possible abduction.  The post claims there have been multiple kidnapping attempts and says a father was looking for kidnappers who had just tried to take his daughter in the area of 121st and Elm.

8/20/2018 Related Story: Broken Arrow Police Investigate Possible Kidnapping Attempt

Police now say after canvassing the area and reviewing surveillance video, they don't believe the "persons of interest" or a "gold minivan" were related to a report of any attempted child abduction.

"As always, we ask the citizens of our community to remain vigilant and officially report any crime or suspicious activity directly to the Broken Arrow Police Department," the release states. 

"Please do not use social media as a means of reporting. If there are ever any crime concerns in your area, please contact us any time at 918-259-8400. If it is an emergency, dial 911!"