Los Angeles police searching for man who allegedly kidnapped teenage girls in North Hills
Los Angeles Police Department detectives are asking for the public's help as they search for a man who allegedly kidnapped teenage girls in the North Hills/Panorama City area on Sunday afternoon.
In a social media post, LAPD Mission Division officers said that the suspect, only identified as a 21-year-old man, "reportedly approached teenage females asking if they needed a ride, then locked the doors and drove them to a secluded location."
Police say that the girls, aged 12 and 16, got into the man's car after he followed them for several blocks and continually asked them if they needed a ride. Once the girls got into the car, the man locked the doors and exposed himself, according to LAPD investigators.
Instead of driving the girls to the location they asked him to, police say that the man drove them to a cul-de-sac, near Sunburst Street and Lemona Avenue, where he offered them drugs, alcohol and money in exchange for sex acts.
"The girls were frightened," said LAPD Detective Efren Gutierrez. "One of the girls was able to get out of the car and start screaming for help, while the second girl, the 12-year-old, was in the backseat and had to jump out of the vehicle while it was in motion."
Police say that neither of the girls was injured in the incident.
Details surrounding the incident remain under investigation, but police say that the man has black hair and brown eyes and weighs around 200 pounds. He reportedly has tattoos on both arms and was driving an older model four-door sedan that was possibly dark green or black.
Gutierrez said that the suspect may live in the area, and that his comfort level during the attempted kidnapping is telling.
"He made them feel comfortable enough to get into the vehicle, which is probably a common tactic with this type of predator," he said. "This kind of predatory behavior does not come upon a person overnight. This is a behavior that is developed over a period of time."
Detectives believe that the suspect frequents the areas near:
- Sepulveda Boulevard and Nordhoff Street
- Nordhoff Street and Columbus Avenue
- Sunburst Street and Lemona Avenue, and
- North Hills Park
Anyone who knows more was asked to contact Mission Area Detectives at (818) 838-9810 or the Mission Area Front Desk at (818) 838-9800. Anonymous tipsters were asked to contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
