Police search for men who tried to grab girl near fair

Police are searching for four men who tried to grab a 17-year-old girl and force her into their car near the State Fairgrounds just before 9 p.m. Thursday.

St. Paul Police spokesperson Steve Linders said the girl had just finished working at the fair and was walking near the intersection of Snelling and Arlington Avenues.

Four men standing outside a car began to harass her, Linders said, and then one of them grabbed her by the arm and neck and tried to force her into their car. Linders said the girl sprayed the man with Mace, fled the area and called police.

The men drove off in a black four-door car with black rims.

"This is an extremely frightening situation," Linders said. "But it's also extremely rare. Generally speaking, the area around the State Fair and the State Fair is safe. So when something like this happens we want to figure out who is doing it and we want to get to the bottom of it as fast as we can."

The men were described as in their early to mid 20s. The man who grabbed the victim was wearing a red and blue shirt with large stitches on it. He has short hair, a medium build and is about 6 feet tall.

Linders asked that anyone with information about the incident call police.