Boyle Heights Girl, 3, Rescued From Alleged Kidnapper 'In The Nick Of Time'
BOYLE HEIGHTS (CBSLA.com) — Neighbors of a 3-year-old alleged kidnap victim say she was rescued "in the nick of time" Saturday evening in Boyle Heights.
Police found the girl nearly naked and being held by a man believed to be in his mid to late 40s. The man was nude at the time of his arrest.
The little girl was held for nearly three hours but after being examined at a hospital, officials determined she was not sexually molested.
The alleged kidnapping occurred in the 3200 block of Malabar Street.
CBS2's Art Barron, reporting from the scene, spoke to neighbors who said the little girl was rescued "in the nick of time."
"It's shocking and heartless," said one neighbor, "You can imagine what every parent feels."
Barron found many neighbors shaking their head in disgust.
The girl was being held in a small workshop/garage across the street from where she had last been seen Saturday evening.
Neighbors told Barron the little girl was playing with other children at a baby shower.
Edwin Bojas and his wife hosted the baby shower at their house. After the girl turned up missing, a frantic search was begun.
"After about two hours and 45 minutes, they opened the garage and found the baby there and the guy, too," said Bojas.
When a man found out his daughter was missing, he literally went crazy, one neighbor said. "He started socking the ground."
"I'm sad for the little girl, and worried about my kids, all the kids," said Ayde Angulano, a mother of three.
Police did not reveal the suspect's name but said he was a handyman familiar with the location.
The suspect had visible bruising and cuts to his face.
LAPD Detective Stan Young explained that the suspect resisted arrest and that he was not cooperative.
The girl's mother told friends that she was relieved her daughter is okay. Barron quotes what she told her friends, "Thanks God, nothing happened to her."
