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Man attempts to lure teens to car in Gateway

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LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- The Gateway community is on alert, Sunday, after a man attempted to lure 3 teens into his car over the weekend.

One of the teens tells Fox 4 she, her sister, and a friend were driving golf carts near the Sherman Soccer Complex off Griffin Drive when a man in a red sedan slowed down, rolled down his window, and started cat-calling them.

The three girls started driving away when they realized he started following them. The girl tells Fox 4 her sister began to panic. "She's like, 'where do we go?' And I was like, 'Drive!' and my sister, you could hear in the background, she was screaming at the guy to get away from her. She was screaming at the neighbors to call the cops."

The man continued to follow slowly until the girls lost him in the Pinewood area. "If they would have stopped, even for a brief second, he probably would have taken them," she said.

They reported the incident to Lee County Deputies, who told them if they are ever in that situation, call 911 immediately. An officer may be close by and able to stop the suspect in his tracks. They also recommend to take out your phone and start recording the incident. Not only does this serve as evidence, but could also deter a possible kidnapper.

The driver is described as a Hispanic male in his 20's or 30's. He was wearing sunglasses, a tank top, and a red and black Miami Heat cap worn backwards.

If you have any information on who this might be, call the Lee County Sheriff's Office. You can also anonymously call SWFL Crime Stopper at 1800-780-TIPS.