Police Release Sketch Of Kidnapper Who Took 2 Girls In North Hills: LAPD

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles police are seeking the public’s help to find a man who kidnapped two girls earlier this month in North Hills, with authorities releasing a sketch Monday of the suspect.

Officers responded around 5:20 p.m. March 15 to the 8900 block of Lemona Avenue to investigate, according to police.

A man in his early 20s driving an older dark green Honda Civic had approached the girls, 11 and 16, as they were walking near Sepulveda Boulevard and Nordhoff Street, police said. The man asked the girls if they needed a ride and they initially declined, but they accepted when he approached them again a short time later near Nordhoff Street and Columbus Avenue, according to police.

The man drove the girls past their intended route, taking them east to the 8900 block of Lemona Avenue, where he locked the car, parked and “made lewd requests toward the victims, at which point they began screaming for help,” police said.

The man started driving away as the girls tried to escape, but the girls were able to get out of the car, falling onto the road and suffering minor injuries, according to police.

The girls later met with a forensic composite artist, police said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police at 818-838-9810 or, outside business hours, at 1-877-527-3247. To remain anonymous, contact L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through the P3 Tips app.