'Person of Interest' Sought in Attempted Kidnapping of Southland Girls

GARDENA, CA - Sheriff’s investigators on Monday circulated a surveillance image of a man described as a “person of interest” in the attempted kidnapping of two young girls from a home near Gardena two days before Thanksgiving.

About 7 p.m. Nov. 24, the suspect entered a home in the 15100 block of Cranbrook Avenue in the El Camino Village neighborhood and carried off the two girls, ages 3 and 7, according to detectives at the South Los Angeles area sheriff’s station.

He tried to put the girls into a dark SUV, but the 7-year-old got away and the suspect then set the younger child on the ground. Both girls ran screaming back into the home.

“The suspect was last seen by the children next to the SUV in front of their residence,” said sheriff’s Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez.

Surveillance video obtained by detectives shows a black man who was in the area at the time of the attempted abductions.

“He has a similar description and was wearing similar clothing to that of the suspect, described as approximately 30 years old, 6 feet tall, weighing approximately 200 pounds,” Navarro-Suarez said. “He wore dark blue pants, a gray hooded sweatshirt and white hat. The individual pictured is only considered a ‘person of interest.”’

Anyone with information that could help investigators identify the man in the surveillance image was urged to call sheriff’s Detective Mark Yzabal at (323) 820-6700 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS. All tips may be provided anonymously.

--City News Service, photo courtesy of the LASD