11-Year-Old Girl Escapes Attempted Kidnapping in Wilmington

The police are seeking the public's help in capturing the man who tried to abduct the girl

An 11-year-old girl who was nearly forced into the trunk of a car fought her attacker and broke free, and Los Angeles police are asking for the public's help in tracking down the man who tried to kidnap her.

The attempted capture began in the LA Harbor Area when the man started following the girl on Wednesday about 9 a.m., according to a news release from the Los Angeles Police Department.

The man was following the girl from the area of Avalon Boulevard and L Street to the 1100 block of Marine Avenue in Wilmington, where the kidnapping attempt occurred, police said.

On Marine Avenue, the man surprised the girl from behind and tried to force her into the trunk of his car, the release stated. The girl fought back and broke free from the man, and he immediately fled the scene.

The girl had been doing laundry with her mother, when the older woman sent the 11-year-old across the street to the dollar store to get detergent. The girl noticed a white car in the laundromat parking lot, as well as in the dollar store lot, she told NBC4.

It wasn't until she began walking home from the laundromat that she realized the man was following her. She said the man jumped out from behind a tree and grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides.

She was able to elbow and kick him while screaming, the girl said. She ran home and called her mother. The girl's father then notified police.

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The father told NBC4 his daughter was not physically hurt, but he heard her crying all night after the kidnapping attempt.

Police on Friday were still looking for a man described as a male Hispanic, about 50 years old with gray and/or black hair, 5 feet 7 inches tall and 180 lbs. He is believed to be driving a late 1980s to '90s two-door white foreign car with black bumpers and a faded hood.

The car may have damage to the passenger's side fender, police said.

Police asked anyone with information to call 310-726-7860. People who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or text CRIMES (274637).

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