Charges Filed For Attempted Kidnapping In Rancho Palos Verdes

PALOS VERDES, CA – Lomita Sheriff's Station detectives Wednesday presented the case of the attempted kidnapping of a Rancho Palos Verdes middle school student to the District Attorney’s Office at Torrance Court. Garrett Webber, 54, of Rancho Palos Verdes, was detained by deputies in the 28100 block of Peacock Ridge Drive shortly after the 7:30 a.m. Monday incident.

According to witnesses, Webber allegedly exited his pickup truck and confronted a female juvenile who was walking to school, before grabbing the student in an apparent attempt to force her into his truck. He was allegedly holding a handgun at the time of the attempted abduction. When the victim screamed, nearby witnesses came to her aid and Webber fled the location – however, witnesses were able to grab his license plate number before he left. Webber was contacted at his nearby apartment and detained. As a precaution, nearby Ridgecrest Intermediate School was placed on temporary lockdown, the press release said.

During the subsequent investigation, detectives serving a search warrant recovered several firearms, along with other evidence, from Webber’s apartment. Webber claimed during questioning that someone threw an object at his truck, so he confronted a girl walking nearby. His statements, however, were not corroborated by witnesses or evidence at the scene, the press release said.

Charges of Attempted Kidnapping and Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Firearm, were filed by the District Attorney’s Office. Webber is being held in lieu of $500,000.00 bail.

While his motive remains unclear, this appears to be an isolated incident, and there is no known link between Webber and the victim, according to the Lomita Sheriff's Station.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Detective Joe Vazquez at (310) 891- 3245. If you prefer to remain anonymous, you may call “L.A. Crime Stoppers” at 800-222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 MOBILE APP” on Google play or the App Store, or use the website.

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