Moment terrified elementary school children flee as deranged man dries to grab them in an open field

Surveillance video shows the moment a transgender sex offender tried to kidnap a young boy during recess at his elementary school.

Solomon Galligan, 33, was captured on camera walking onto a field at Black Forest Hills Elementary School in Aurora, Colorado, on April 22 around 2:20 p.m., according to an Aurora Police affidavit.

In the surveillance footage, Galligan can be seen walking toward the children in the field before running away from him after he tried to grab them and lunge at another.

Parents were shown the images for the first time at a meeting on Monday and their reaction was predictably shocked.

Dante White said: ‘We hope children will embellish a bit, but the images there showed exactly what it said. It was difficult. It was really difficult.’

Solomon Galligan, 33, was caught on camera walking onto a field at Black Forest Hills Elementary School in Aurora, Colorado, on April 22 around 2:20 p.m., according to an Aurora Police Department affidavit.

When Galligan tripped over a white blanket he was carrying, the child managed to escape. According to the statement, he stood up and walked toward the juvenile.

White says the school apologized for its failures in the incident after he and other families viewed the video. The next step will be critical.

‘WWe prescribed a number of things that we wanted done,” White said. “We want an independent investigation into it, we want people put on administrative leave, we want people fired.”

They are also asking for more safety training, more fencing around the school and more surveillance equipment CBS News.

‘This is something you fear as a parent. They were taken into custody by adults who were supposed to be trained professionals, but they weren’t. They have failed categorically across the board, from the administration on the ground to the administration at Cherry Creek and the heads of security,” White added.

‘We ask for accountability.’

The district has promised to make improvements, continues to consult with parents and has already updated the locations where supervision will take place.

‘We are conducting a thorough investigation. We look at what exactly happened and what happened next. We take safety as a high priority,” said Lauren Snell, a spokesperson for the school district.

Witnesses told police that children shouted “stranger danger” to warn adults that an unwanted person was on school grounds.

He was caught on camera walking onto a field at Black Forest Hills Elementary School (pictured) in Aurora, Colorado

Galligan stopped what he was doing, left the area and headed east.

According to the complaint, the child who chased the man informed authorities that the suspect had long dreadlocks and was dressed in a dark pantsuit and a blue hoodie.

His child also reported that he had white powder on his face and smelled of alcohol.

Immediately after the incident, a parent alerted school staff that a man matching the suspect’s description had been spotted at a nearby Walgreens.

When police approached Galligan at the drugstore, he claimed to have been assaulted and asked to be taken to the hospital.

An officer conducted a background check at the hospital and discovered that Galligan was a registered sex offender.

The suspect fled after students at the school shouted “stranger danger” to alert teachers to his presence

Officers discovered Galligan was a registered sex offender and had previously been convicted in 2011

According to the affidavit, he was previously convicted in 2011 of grabbing, touching or groping another person’s intimate body parts without consent.

The suspect was arrested for second-degree kidnapping. He is currently being held in the Arapahoe County Jail under a $25,000 cash or surety bond.

Galligan previously shared posts about his gender transition in 2011.

‘So I’m starting my hormone injections and I really can’t wait. “I’m taking my hormone pills, I’ve been taking them for almost four months,” the message read.

‘I wake up depressed and crying, but in the end it will be totally worth it. You know what I mean. I’m really excited that my measurements are already changing and I’m super excited.”