Man tries to lure 8-year-old into his car

LAKE ELSINORE - A man who tried to persuade an 8-year-old girl to get into his car outside a Lake Elsinore school was wanted for questioning by sheriff's deputies today.

The unidentified suspect targeted the third-grader as she left Cottonwood Elementary School in the 32100 block of Lost Road around 3 p.m. Monday, according to sheriff's Sgt. Ken Chaffin.

He said the child was walking to her mother's vehicle and went by the suspect's late-model gold four-door sedan, which was parked on the edge of the road.

"As the victim passed, the suspect asked her to get in the car," the sergeant said. "The victim ignored the suspect and continued walking to her mother's vehicle parked nearby."

The suspect was described as white, in his mid-20s, thinly built with brown hair and a partial beard. He had a tattoo on the right side of his neck depicting an unrecognizable image, with small writing beneath it, and was wearing a red-and-white short-sleeved shirt.

Anyone with information about the man's identity or whereabouts was urged to call the Lake Elsinore sheriff's station at (951) 245-3300.