Photo: Oakland Police Department
It's a good thing someone stepped in.
By Isaac Serna-Diez — Written on Jul 22, 2022
Police in Oakland are appealing for urgent information regarding an incident that occurred on July 19 that may have been a kidnapping attempt.
The Oakland Police Department wasn’t able to capture the individual in time, but they know what the man looks like, and thankfully, he wasn’t successful in his efforts.
Surveillance footage captured the moment the stranger tried to snatch the toddler at an Oakland bus stop.
On July 19th, 2022, just after 12:30 p.m., the strange man walked up to the mother, her toddler, and unidentified family members.
He allegedly threatened them and then attempted to snatch the two-year-old child, but failed.
When Oakland Police Officers responded to the report coming from the AC Transit Bus Platform, located at High Street and International Boulevard, the man was already gone.
“Family members (Oakland residents) told officers that an unknown individual threatened them and attempted to take the toddler,” reported the Oakland Police Department’s Facebook.
The would-be snatcher is described as a Hispanic male, 40-50 years old, 5’10” tall, and 280 pounds.
At the time of the attempted kidnapping, he was wearing a blue hat, a red and blue shirt, and black pants.
“After several unsuccessful attempts to take the two-year-old, the individual proceeded to physically assault the toddler’s mother until an unknown good Samaritan came to her aid,” said the Oakland Police Department. “The individual then ran from the area.”
Surveillance footage shows the man getting into an altercation with one family member as a second family member stands behind them — the toddler was seated in a stroller nearby.
As the struggle continues, a man who was on the phone in the background can be seen approaching the group, likely the “good Samaritan” the OPD was referring to.
The police urged community members “to contact the OPD Special Victims Unit at (510) 238-3641 or the TIP LINE at (510) 238-7950” if they recognized the individual.
Some people in the comments gave their two cents on how to potentially catch the perpetrator.
“Someone knows who this is … because it looks like he frequented a store maybe in the area …” one woman said, referring to the plastic bag that he held in his hands at the time of the altercation.
“Hmm if he dropped his hat, can’t they take his DNA off it?” read another person’s comment, before someone cleared up that they would need his DNA inside of a database in the first place, otherwise there would be no match.
People shared their sympathies for the mother, who must have been terrified that her child had almost been taken, while others guessed what he might have been taking the toddler for.
“Human sex trafficking is pretty bad in the Bay Area,” read one comment.
Fortunately, the good Samaritan stepped in when they did and the toddler wasn’t taken, but in order to guarantee the safety of others, the OPD needs to capture the man so he doesn’t try to kidnap another child again.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Keep up with his rants about current events on his Twitter.