ESCONDIDO, Calif. — A man suspected of stalking and trying to kidnap children in Los Angeles and Escondido was behind bars Thursday following his arrest in the latter city, authorities reported.
Elijah Lopez, 24, was taken into custody in a commercial area east of the Interstate 15-state Route 78 interchange on Wednesday, San Diego County sheriff's Detective Jonathan Arevalo said.
The deputy who arrested Lopez recognized him from a be-on-the-lookout flier issued by the Los Angeles Police Department following the attempted abduction on Tuesday of a 6-year-old girl who was grabbed by a stranger while walking with her blind father in Huntington Park, according to Arevalo. Lopez was reportedly wearing the same clothing described in the LAPD crime alert.
While the deputy was detaining Lopez in Escondido, a bystander approached the lawman and told him the suspect had just been following a child in a suspicious manner, prompting the girl to run to a nearby grocery store and ask for help, the detective said.
Lopez has been booked into county jail in Los Angeles.
"LAPD and Escondido police are continuing their investigations," Arevalo said.
Suspect in LA, Escondido kidnapping attempts arrested in North County San Diego
Elijah Lopez, 24, was taken into custody after a deputy recognized him from a be-on-the-lookout flier issued by LAPD following an attempted abduction Tuesday.
