Palos Verdes Man Pleads To Attempting To Kidnap Teen

PALOS VERDES, CA – A Rancho Palos Verdes man pleaded no contest Thursday to the attempted kidnapping of a 13-year-old girl at gunpoint as she was walking to school, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced.

Deputy District Attorney Lindsay Kurtis said Garrett Evans Webber, 55, entered the plea to one felony count of attempted kidnapping of a victim under the age of 14 and admitted that he personally used a semi-automatic firearm, prosecutors said.

The prosecutor said that on Oct. 30, 2017, Webber drove up to the victim as she walked in the 28700 block of Highridge Road, exited his vehicle and pointed a firearm at her head while trying to force her into his vehicle. The victim was able to escape his grasp and call for help from people nearby, the prosecutor added.

Webber was located later by police thanks to a witness who saw his license plate, the prosecutor said. He claimed during questioning last year that he confronted the girl because someone had thrown something at his truck, according to the Daily Breeze.

Deputies told the newspaper that Webber’s intentions were unknown, and there was no link between him and the girl. Detectives found several guns in his apartment during their investigation. However, they couldn't find evidence or witnesses to corroborate Webber's statement that he confronted the girl because someone threw an object at his truck.

Webber’s criminal record does not include any abduction or sex offenses, Daily Breeze reported. Los Angeles County Superior Court records show a 1988 conviction for carrying a loaded firearm, the newspaper said.

Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 20 in the Torrance Branch of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Webber faces 14 years in state prison.

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