San Diego

Man Tries to Abduct 3-Year-Old Walking with Mom from Car: ECPD

The incident happened on Tuesday between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart located at 605 Fletcher Parkway in El Cajon, police said.

El Cajon police are looking for a man who reportedly attempted to abduct a 3-year-old girl walking with her mom in a Wal-Mart parking lot. 

The mother who didn’t want to be identified said a smiling man walked past her, then came from behind and tried to snatch her 3-year-old daughter who was holding her hand.

“I said 'hey! Did you just try to grab my daughter,'" the mother recalled.

The incident happened on Tuesday between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart located at 605 Fletcher Parkway in El Cajon, police said. 

The 3-year-old girl and her mother were walking away from their car in the west parking lot when the reported attempted abduction happened.

After confronting the man for grabbing his daughter the mother said the suspect seemed to bait her to follow him.

Instead of taking the bait she decided on the safety of the mall.

“I was in shock standing there holding my kids walking in the mall crying,” she said.

The following details may be disturbing.

The young mother's sense of safety was shattered even more after she got to her car. That’s where she found a note beneath a cup filled with yellow liquid.

“It did smell of urine because it spilled all over the car and all over me. And  the note said 'Bet this p***** you off' with a smiley face on it," she told NBC 7.

While El Cajon Police investigate the attempted abduction, the mother’s nerves remain rattled—her hand trembling.

Thinking about how she could have lost one of the loves of her life.

“She was almost taken," she said. "Just thinking about it, I look at her and cry about it because she could not be here right now ."

The suspect is described to be a man between 6-foot to 6-foot 3-inches tall, weighing approximately 220 to 230 pounds with a pot belly. He had dirty blonde hair with a receding hair line. The man was last seen wearing a green shirt, tan shorts and black flip flops.

Authorities are actively investigating the report, Bates said, and reviewing surveillance cameras in the area. 

Anyone who witnessed this incident or may have seen the suspect described above is asked to contact the El Cajon Police Department at (619) 579-3311.

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