Cops Seek Attempted Kidnapper At UCSC

Police are looking for a man armed with a knife who attempted to kidnap a woman in her car at the University of California at Santa Cruz on Thursday, campus police said Friday.

The victim told officers that she entered her car from the driver’s side at the college’s North Remote parking lot around 7 p.m. Thursday when the suspect appeared from the back seat and held a knife to her, UCSC police Chief Nader Oweis said.

The suspect demanded her to start the car’s engine, but she was able to escape through the driver’s side door and two men nearby helped her call 911, according to Oweis.

The suspect is described as a white man in his 20s, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing between 150 and 160 pounds, according to Oweis.

He has “scruffy” blond or light brown hair and a beard that was several days old, Oweis said.

He was wearing a light gray hoodie at the time of the incident, Oweis said.

The campus community is advised to stay alert of their surroundings, walk with a trusted companion during night hours or in remote areas and report any crimes immediately to UCSC police.

Police have released a sketch of the suspect and are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident to call UCSC police at (831) 459-2231, ext. 1.

--Bay City News