ALBERT LEA, Minn. (WCCO) — A southern Minnesota community is on edge Monday night after two attempted abductions were reported to police. They happened in Albert Lea, just hours apart on Saturday and Sunday. Police say the first occurred at the Freeborn County Fair. The second at a basketball court near a city swimming pool. The atmosphere in Albert Lea went from laid back to alarmed over the weekend. Deputies on patrol at the Freeborn County Fair say just before 10 p.m. Saturday, they were stopped by a 12-year-old girl who said someone grabbed her from behind and said “keep walking and nobody will get hurt.” She complied for a few seconds, and then the man ran away after someone yelled at him to leave her alone. “She’s fine, was able to get away from the reported abductor and able to report to law enforcement some time later,” J.D. Carlson with the Albert Lea Police Department said. “When it happens I think even the teenagers are like ‘Oh my goodness – this is happening here – this really could happen to me or a friend or someone I know,’” Albert Lea resident Amy Schumacher said. As word spread through town about the attempted abduction at the Freeborn County fair, police in Albert Lea received a report of another disturbing incident just hours later, at a different location: The basketball court near the city’s aquatic center. “About 6:30 at night, an individual playing basketball, a 22-year-old male, and a silver van with rust approached. A male got out and asked if he could join in playing some ball,” Carlson said. Police say the young man told them the suspect later lifted his shirt to display a handgun and instructed him to come with him. Instead, he ran away and called the police. “From what we can tell the cases are not connected. The method of operation with the 12-year-old girl doesn’t appear to be anything like basketball player at the park,” Carlson said. “Really hitting home, because you know, there’s always been the awareness throughout the years of having my children but it’s like, to have it actually happen here in my hometown,” Alert Lea resident Jena Thompson said. Police say the suspect in the second case is described as a man in his 20s or 30s, wearing a white T-shirt and black basketball shorts. In the first case, the girl had few details. Anyone with information is asked to call the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office or Albert Lea police.<doc-sep>ALBERT LEA | Two attempted abductions were reported this weekend in Albert Lea, but police say they don’t think they are related. A 12-year-old girl told Freeborn County Sheriff’s deputies that a man tried to abduct her around 9 p.m. Saturday night at the Freeborn County Fair. The girl told deputies, who were conducting a foot patrol of the midway, that she was walking on the gravel road near the 4-H Building when someone grabbed her waist from behind and told her, “Keep walking and nobody will get hurt,” according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. The girl reportedly complied for a few seconds before a woman yelled at the man to leave the girl alone, according to the sheriff’s office. The man then reportedly fled on foot. His identity has not been released. On Sunday evening, a 22-year-old man reported to police that another man attempted to kidnap him at gunpoint near the city pool. He told police that a man approached him at the basketball courts at the intersection of James Avenue and Frank Avenue, next to the pool, asking if he could play basketball with him.<doc-sep>ALBERT LEA, Minn. - A 12-year-old girl was grabbed from behind while walking on the gravel road through the parking lot near the 4H building a the Freeborn County Fair. He told her: "Keep walking and nobody will get hurt." A female yelled at the man to leave the girl alone, and he fled. The girl was able to get away. The Freeborn County Sheriff's Office reports that the incident happened around 9 p.m. on Saturday, and the girl approached deputies patrolling the fairgrounds at about 9:55 p.m. and told them what happened. The identity of the female witness is not known at this time. The suspect is described as wearing dark shoes with white laces and having an abnormally deep voice. KIMT spoke with parents out at the fair with their kids the next day. "It was kind of just that instant panic, like oh my goodness, this is happening here," says Amy Schuhmacher of when she heard about the incident. "The reality of it, that it really does happen and to always be aware of your surroundings and to really not venture off alone, to always have that same awareness at any age. It doesn't matter what age you are," explains Jena Thompson.<doc-sep>
article Two attempted abductions were reported in Albert Lea, Minnesota over the weekend. The first incident occurred at the Freeborn County Fair on Saturday evening. A 12-year-old girl told Freeborn County deputies she was walking on the gravel road through the parking lot near the 4-H building when a man grabbed her from behind and told her “keep walking and nobody will get hurt.” The girl said she went with the man for a few seconds until a nearby woman yelled at him to leave her alone. The man then fled. The suspect is described as a man with an abnormally deep voice. He was wearing dark shoes with white laces. Authorities have not determined the identity of the woman who witnessed the incident. The second incident occurred on Sunday around 6:24 p.m. on the basketball courts at James Avenue and Frank Avenue by the Aquatic Center. A 22-year-old man told Albert Lea police a man came up and asked to play basketball with him. After a while, he lifted his shirt and displayed a handgun in his waistband. He then told the 22-year-old to come with him, but the victim fled. The suspect walked back to his car and drove southbound on Frank Avenue. The suspect is described as a man in his mid-20s to 30s. He is approximately 5’8” tall, weighs 180 pounds and wears glasses. He has black hair in a buzz cut. His vehicle is described as a silver van with rust along the bottom and white tape on the rear passenger taillight. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the Albert Lea Police Department at 507-377-5200.