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Boy, 9, dragged by his neck in Detroit as stranger tries stealing his fake gold chain

Woman named 'Tequila' crashed into three cars while OWI, police say
Posted at 9:30 PM, Jun 17, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-18 05:22:52-04

DETROIT (WXYZ) — A mother is speaking out as DPD continues searching for the person who dragged her 9-year-old son down the road trying to steal his gold chain.

The incident happened near Springwells Street and Senator in Southwest Detroit. That young boy was walking to the dollar store when suddenly someone attacked him trying to steal his fake gold chain.

“He grabbed him by his neck and chain and that’s when the chain had broke and that’s when the guy moved away,” said Tamara Parker, mother of 9-year-old Austin Parker.

The suspect was moving on foot when the incident happened.

It happened in broad daylight, around 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Austin was walking down Springwells Street with his babysitter going to the Dollar Store when suddenly out of nowhere.

“He was dragged down the street by somebody just out of random and was trying to grab his chain,” Tamara said.

Police say the boy was dragged down the road by someone trying to steal his fake gold necklace. Austin says he didn’t know what was going on and was scared for his life.

“I was trying to punch him but he got too far," the 9-year-old said. "It was so scary. I never had that happen to me before."

Austin’s injuries are clearly visible. He says he’s scared to walk around the neighborhood now after the attack. Police initially had someone in custody but say it wasn’t the right person. Tamara can’t believe someone would attack an innocent boy who was minding his own business on his way to a store. She says from now Austin doesn’t go far from her sight.

“Keep an extra eye on them and hold them tightly ever single night,” Tamara said.

DPD continues to investigate. If you have any information call police.