Police say an 11-year old girl fought-off a man who tried to abduct her in the Bureau County town of Walnut, Illinois on Thursday night.
It happened around 9 p.m. in the small village about an hour east of the Quad Cities.
Police Chief Tom Ptasnik calls the report "very credible."
The 11-year old was riding her bike with two friends on Main Street, when she hurt her leg. She told the two friends to go ahead on without her, and within "a minute" a man in a van approached her.
He asked the girl if she was all right, and then asked if she needed a ride home. She said no, and that's when he got out of the van and grabbed her "forcefully" by the arm.
"It was forceful enough, it hurt", said Chief Ptasnik.
The 11-year old though started kicking the man and screaming, and he retreated back in the van and left.
"She started doing this bicycle kicking with her feet and screaming for help. She kicked him and he got back in the car and left because the screaming was bringing all the neighbors out. She's a brave young girl," he said.
The man was driving a silver or grey van, but there's no license plate information.
The victim described him as about 50-years-old with dark hair, wearing a black shirt with a grey circle and a white design in the circle and blue jeans.