Cleveland — The time was 7:00 a.m. on Thursday morning.
The place: East 55th and St. Clair on Cleveland's east side
A 13-year-old girl on her way to school at St. Martin DePorres says she was abducted just a few blocks from school then, "taken to an unknown location and assaulted."
She fights off her attacker.
Mercedes is a family friend who heard the teen's account when she eventually made it back to her grandmother's home.
"She came in runnin' through the back door cryin. She told me when she was getting off the bus, a guy put her in the trunk and hit her upside the head. She woke up with his pants down trying to rape her," Mercedes.says.
The teen told police she stabbed her attacker and got away.
"And she got on the bus and she ran home and that's when she came in the back door crying. And she explained everything to me that happened," Mercedes said.
A gray car, she said, but no good description of her attacker.
"She said he had on a black mask and hoodie so she couldn't get a good like stuff with his face. When she got home her shirt was like open, nails halfway off, but like for any marks and scars? She didn't have any. She didn't say he tried to rape her, but we don't know. She been passed out," Mercedes said.
She added that the teen was in the hospital and at 6:00 p.m.Thursday, they were waiting to hear from her mom who was with her.
At the same time the principal at St. Martin DePorres said, "I can emphasize the student is safe."
This is a kid whose grandma says takes two RTA buses to get to school. She catches the first one at 6:30 am.
This is a kid who is doing everything right, yet has this nightmare she lived through now to deal with and the dude is still out there.
Cleveland Police are keeping their fingers on the pulse of anyone who may be checking into emergency rooms with stab wounds as they continue to investigate.