Santa Ana police are looking for two female would-be kidnappers who used the promise of ice cream to try to lure a 7-year-old boy into their minivan, police said Thursday.
The boy was walking home about 2:30 p.m. from Newhope Elementary School on Monday in the 4500 block of W. Kent Avenue when the two women shouted at the child from their parked vehicle.
"The passenger yelled at the victim and told him to get in the van with the ruse that she had ice cream for him. The driver told the passenger to 'hurry and just get him in the car,'" police said in a statement.
The passenger tried to reach for the boy, but he was able to escape.
Police described the vehicle as a gold minivan with dirty rims and possibly lower wooden trim, rust marks and a sliding side door. The make and model were unknown, but police described the vehicle as having a similar body style of a Toyota Sienna, ranging in model year from 2000 to 2007.
The minivan was seen in the same area the day before, according to police. At least three witnesses spotted the minivan near the school around the time of the attempted kidnapping.
"They're either from the neighborhood or trolling the neighborhood," said Cpl. Antony Bertagna with Santa Ana police.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
The driver was described as a Hispanic woman, 30 to 40 years old, with a heavy build, fair complexion, wrinkles on her face and a long brown ponytail.
The passenger was described as a Hispanic woman, about 40 years old, with a medium build, olive complexion, short brown wavy hair and having numerous freckles or moles on her face.
Anyone with information about the case was asked to contact police at 714-245-8390.
