Disturbing video captures the moment screaming kids run in terror as a transgender sex offender allegedly tried to snatch one of them from their Colorado elementary school.
The surveillance footage leading to the arrest of Solomon Galligan, 33, was first shown Monday to families of the children involved in the scary ordeal at Black Forest Hills Elementary School in Aurora last Friday, according to CBS Colorado.
“It was hard — it was really hard,” one of the parents, Dante White, said of seeing the footage that alarmingly proved his child had not exaggerated how scary it had been.
“This is something that you fear as a parent.”
The footage shows a figure holding a blanket walking beside a fence as more than a dozen young students innocently play outside during recess.
The kids then run away as the suspected abductor runs toward them, with some yelling, “Stranger danger,” according to previously released documents.
The footage then shows the adult closing in on one of the kids — tripping while lunging at the child with a white blanket. The suspect actually had hold of the child and only lost his grip when falling, the police documents said.
A teacher’s assistant yelled at the suspect who fled as another approached.
Galligan — who identifies as male — was arrested at a nearby Walgreens and charged with one count of attempted kidnapping. He reeked of alcohol and had white powder smeared on his face at the time of the incident, the nearly abducted child told cops.
Galligan was put on the sex offender registry in 2011 when convicted of non-consent sexual contact, according to his latest arrest affidavit, which did not elaborate on the incident.
That same year, Galligan opened up on social media about suffering depression while taking male hormones as part of his transition. His family blamed mental health issues for his latest legal woes, CBS Colorado said.
The school district released the video while vowing to investigate and improve safety protocols.
“We are doing a thorough investigation. We’re looking at exactly what happened and what transpired afterwards as well. We take safety as a high priority,” said Lauren Snell, CCSD Public Information Officer.
The school district released the video while vowing to investigate and improve safety protocols.
White said that the district “did admit fault” and “apologize” during Monday’s meeting with parents — but says that is not enough.
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“We want an independent investigation of it, we want people put on administrative leave, we want people fired,” the dad told CBS Colorado.
“This is something that you fear as a parent. They’re in the custody of adults that are supposed to be trained professionals, and they weren’t. They categorically failed across the board, from the administration on site to the administration at Cherry Creek to the heads of security,” said White.