Woman Fights Off Alleged Kidnapper In Lake Forest
LAKE FOREST (CBSLA.com) — Police are on the hunt for a man who tried to kidnap a woman in Lake Forest a week ago.
Misty, who wished to remain unidentified for her safety, said she was walking on Overlake and Ridge Route drives around 2:15 p.m. April 11 when the suspect pulled up in a white van and asked her help to find his lost dog.
"I go over there, he gets out of the van and said, 'Hey, I have a better picture.' So we walk to the front of the van," she said.
Misty said that's when the suspect got aggressive.
"He grabs my arm after he opened the van and starts to push me inside," she said.
Misty said her previous Tae Kwon Do lessons and her love of track helped her push the attacker off.
"I take my foot up, but it on the side of the van, pushed off, and I kicked him in the shin as hard as I could, and I started to run," she said.
Deputies said the assailant's van is a newer-model Chevy with no rear windows and a metal partition separating the cargo area and the front seats.
"It smelled like paint thinner and it had five hooks where you hang tools, but it was bare bones empty," said Misty.
Police described the suspect as Hispanic, in his 30s, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 230 pounds, with a shaved head and thin eyebrows. He was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans.
The victim said she wanted to share her story to stop the suspect from striking again.
"I used to go running all the time by myself. Now I'm constantly looking over my shoulder, wondering if he's going to finish the job," she said.
