Toddler Boy Kidnapping Attempt: Berkeley Man Arrested

BERKELEY, CA — A Berkeley man has been arrested for trying to kidnap a 2-year-old boy at the Claremont branch library in Berkeley, according to Officer Byron White, Public Information Officer for the Berkeley Police Department.

White told Patch that the man, 28-year-old Marcus Deberry, Jr., began harassing the boy and his nanny at a local park on Nov. 13, before following them to the library. Deberry is accused of trying to grab the child, but the nanny held onto the toddler and a library worker came to their aid.

The man then left the library without the boy.

Surveillance video taken from the library led to the man's arrest later that evening. A patrol officer spotted him at a store in Berkeley.

Officer Byron White praised the efforts of police officers, who identified the suspect and tracked him down within hours of the alleged kidnapping attempt. White told Patch, "We're pleased that they we were able to capture this person before before he could attempt to take anyone else's child."

Deberry was booked into Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.