By SE Jenkins

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DALLAS, Texas (KTVT) — Dallas police say an alleged attempted kidnapping that was widely reported in North Dallas last week did not happen.

On Wednesday, the department said it had completed its investigation and confirmed that no charges had been filed in connection with the incident on Old Pond Dr.

Last week, it was widely reported that Dallas police were investigating an attempted kidnapping. The report identified a young man who got out of a white SUV and approached a group of children as the suspect. Initially, DPD said he was under 18 and that there was no danger to the public.

Neighbors became concerned and the incident went viral when the boys shared their story.

“We were all on very high alert,” Cori Pratt previously told CBS News Texas.

Pratt is also the Expanded Neighborhood Patrol coordinator for the nearby Highlands North Homeowners Association and has been working to learn more about the incident, contacting an officer who patrols the area. She told CBS News Texas that the officer reported that no one had been arrested and that it had not been reported as an attempted kidnapping.

The officer also confirmed with a lieutenant that the incident began when one of the children threw an object, possibly a water balloon or ball, and hit the man’s car.

Melissa Ashby said her teenage son, who has a form of autism, was identified as the alleged suspect.

According to Ashby, her son and his friend were waiting for another friend who lives on Old Pond Dr. when they saw a group of young boys walking by.

“He, being the nice guy he is, said, ‘Oh, you look like you’d be good at football,’ and the one guy, who was last seen running in the blue shorts, said to him, ‘I don’t talk to strangers, get lost,'” she previously told CBS News Texas.

Ashby said her son thought it was a good idea to approach them, but panicked when he saw the mother filming and walked back to the car.

She said her son had been cleared of any wrongdoing, but she wished that information had come out sooner.

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