Mysterious LA Kidnapping Captured On Video

SYLMAR, CA — Los Angeles police released video of a mysterious kidnapping Wednesday in hopes that someone will recognize the victim or suspect.

The video released by the Los Angeles Police Department shows a man grabbing a woman by the hair and shoving her into his van on a residential street in Sylmar. The eerie video shows the man and woman talking to one another seemingly calmly, but he seems to be stalking her footsteps and preparing to grab her as she paces outside the van. The kidnapping occurred about 12:30 p.m. in the 15000 block of El Cajon Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The video suspect is a heavy-set man who drives Chrysler minivan, possibly a Town and Country, police said.

"The female attempts to walk away, but the male follows her," according to a police statement. "He then opens the sliding door of the van as he continues to talk to her. The male grabs her by the hair and forcibly throws her inside the van."

The woman vainly tries to escape, but the man pushes her back into the van before he gets into the driver's seat and drives off with the victim still inside, police said.

The man then calmly walks around to the driver's seat and pulls away.

The woman appears to be Hispanic, 25-35 years old with long back hair. The man is around 30-35 years old and weighs about 250 pounds. He wore a baseball cap turned backwards.

"It appears as if the suspect and the victim know each other," police said, adding that the motive for the kidnapping is unknown.

Anyone with information about the kidnapping was urged to call the LAPD's Mission Station at (818) 838-9800.

After-hours and weekend calls should be directed to (877) LAPD-24-7 and anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers by calling (800) 222- TIPS.

City News Service contributed to this report.