Police are searching for a suspect in the alleged daylight kidnapping Monday of a young woman near La Quinta High School in Westminster.
According to Corporal Van Woodson of the Westminster Police Department, the attack took place in the area of Brookhurst Street and Bishop Plade at 7:35 a.m. The victim, an 18-year-old woman, was walking alone along the sidewalk when she was grabbed from behind by the suspect.
The suspect held the victim by her arms and pushed her toward his parked car, a “newer” white sedan. She struggled and screamed and finally fought back enough to break the attackers’ grip and they both fell to the ground.
He ran to his car and drove away southbound on Brookhurst. The woman ran and found classmates, then reported the attack to school authorities, who alerted police.
“This incident has us very concerned due to the suspect’s aggressiveness,” said Woodson. “Happily this girl was brave and stood her ground and was able to fight this guy off.”
A general broadcast of “be on the lookout” has been sent to all law enforcement agencies in Orange County. An alert was sent to school systems in Westminster, Garden Grove and Huntington Beach.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the WPD Detective Bureau at (714) 547-3207.
A police sketch of the suspect is available.
