A La Crescenta man suspected of at least two attempted kidnappings in one day may have been involved in additional abduction attempts, Los Angeles police said Tuesday.
Jason Kies, 37, was arrested March 23 while he was allegedly scoping out another potential victim, police said at a news conference in North Hollywood.
Kies had allegedly attempted to abduct two young women earlier in the day that Friday in separate incidents in Valley Village and North Hollywood. He's also suspected of stealing women's lingerie from a Marshalls in Studio City that afternoon.
Police called the attacks as brutal, describing them as "attempted kidnappings for sexual assault."
Kies' alleged victims were young adult Asian women, according to police.
Kies was taken into custody in La Crescenta early Friday evening when he was allegedly scoping out another victim while under surveillance, police said.
"He was observed following a lone female jogger in La Crescenta, slowly following her along side streets," an LAPD news release stated. "Detectives quickly moved to prevent any further acts of violence and took Kies into custody without incident."
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The other women, investigators said, were able to escape.
"They screamed for help, they fought back. We believe one had some martial arts training, so that certainly assisted them," Lt. Alan Hamilton said at Tuesday's news conference.
Kies grabbed the first victim as she got out of her car and attempted to force her into his SUV; he also attempted to force the second victim, a jogger, into his vehicle after assaulting her, police said.
Another woman is believed to have been victimized in Burbank, a city that police said Kies is in frequently.
LA police said they are investigating whether Kies was involved in any attempted kidnappings of young girls, though they would provide no details. They showed images of Kies' GMC Yukon SUV, seen above, with a personalized license plate "ZTIGERZ," which may have been used in abduction attempts.
At Kies' La Crescenta home, which he shares with his wife and two young children, his mother-in-law had no comment.
Kies was being held on $2 million bail at the Valley Jail in Van Nuys, according to the LA County Sheriff's Department's online inmate website.
Police are asking for any victims to come forward with details.
Anyone with information is urged to contact North Hollywood Sexual Assault Detectives Pinner or Perez at (818) 623-4090 or (818) 623-4045. During non-business hours or on weekends, call 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247).
Anonymous tipsters can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone, beginning with the letters "LAPD.
Tipsters may also go to www.lapdonline.org, and click on "Anonymous Web Tips.”
