The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A man was arrested after the authorities said he allegedly tried to kidnap a 7-year-old girl near Portland’s downtown waterfront Saturday evening before bystanders stepped in and stopped him.
According to investigators, emergency dispatchers first received reports of a naked man behaving erratically in the area shortly before 7 p.m. A second caller then reported that the man had allegedly attempted to punch someone. Officers assigned to the area were unavailable because they were responding to other incidents, including a disturbance involving a firearm, so officers from another precinct were sent instead.
Investigators said the man allegedly grabbed the young girl’s arm as she walked with her family. The child, who was visiting Portland from another state with her parents, was reportedly pulled away from her mother. Her mother held onto the girl’s other arm, and the struggle became so forceful that the child was briefly lifted off the ground.