Girl escapes attempted kidnapping in Tacoma, police search for suspect

TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma police are searching for a man accused of forcing a girl into a car Sunday morning in what police described as an attempted kidnapping.

TPD saidThe attempted kidnapping/lure happened Sunday around 11 a.m. around the 1700 block of Pacific Avenue, near the University of Washington Tacoma campus.

The department said a young girl reported she was approached by a man and forced into a red four-door Toyota. The man reportedly followed the girl for several blocks before forcing her into the vehicle near the 1700 block of Pacific Avenue.

The man then drove west to the 3000 block of 6th Avenue, where he briefly exited the vehicle to enter a store. Police said the girl was then able to run away and called 911 for help.

TPD said the suspect was described as a Hispanic male in his 50s, approximately 6 feet tall and weighing between 150 and 160 pounds. Investigators said the man has been identified and are working to find and talk to him.

Terrance Pennington is the assistant manager at Mary Mart, a cannabis store. Pennington said the suspect entered their store on Sunday. It appears the girl escaped while the man was shopping.

“You could tell something was going on because he looked around,” Pennington said. “She (police officer) said, ‘Hey, we’re investigating a kidnapping, and you guys have front cameras, and we want to look at the tires so we can see the car and the gentleman.’ They already had a description of what the guy already looked like. And when we pulled up the footage, boom, look, there goes that guy over there.

The crime has now made Pennington even more aware. ‘She’s lucky. She got away. Many of these people are kidnapped and you never see them again. It’s scary. That’s the world we live in now,” Pennington said.

The police have not yet released the suspect’s name, but have spoken to him to KOMO News. No arrests have been made yet.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call TPD or 911.