Two foiled kidnappings spur warning

Police in Glendale warned the public late Wednesday about the attempted abductions of two young children in a 20-minute period.

In both attempts, a person approached the children and said words to the effect of, “You’re so cute,” Glendale police Sgt. Robert William said.

“Any person that’s willing to stop a car…. and approach a child is very dangerous,” William said. “Anyone with information: We’d really appreciate it.”

The first attempted kidnapping took place just after 5 p.m. near Chevy Chase Drive and Adams Street, where a person snatched a 14-month-old child from a stroller pushed by the baby’s mother, William said.

The mother fought with the attacker and recovered the child before the assailant fled.

About 20 minutes later, a person hopped out of a fourdoor silver sedan at John Marshall Elementary School and tried to kidnap a 3-year-old boy, William said.

The child’s brother witnessed what happened and called 911. The mother was standing nearby and was able to stop the kidnapping, and the assailant drove away.

Witnesses have given different descriptions of the assailant with some overlapping qualities, and police cautioned there could be multiple people involved.

“Investigators are trying to determine how many suspects we have with this incident,” William said, though he added police are “pretty confident” the two cases are related.

The mother in the first incident described the wouldbe abductor as a Latina woman in her 50s with short, thick hair, wearing heavy winter clothes. She fled in a silver sedan with a license plate that partly reads 7HY or 7YH, William said.

The second mother described the assailant as a man in his late 40s or 50s with a scruffy beard and saltand-pepper hair. The 8-yearold boy who called 911 about the attempted abduction said the person appeared to be a man but “dressed like a woman,” William said in a statement.

A robocall went out to parents in the Glendale Unified School District, and Supt. Winfred Roberson issued a message to parents and families saying that school administrators would be extra cautious Thursday.

“We will have increased adult presence at drop-off and pick-up locations,” Roberson said. “We take these reports seriously and are taking all necessary steps to help keep our students safe.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Glendale Police Department at (818) 548-4911.