Police release sketch of man in foiled Azusa child abduction

Police released a sketch Thursday of a man who allegedly tried to kidnap a 5-year-old girl from an Azusa apartment complex but fled after her mother foiled the attempt.

The mother was watching her daughter and a friend play in the apartment complex about 8:30 p.m. when she briefly took her eyes off the children, Azusa police said.

She told officers she heard one of the children screaming and saw a man pulling her daughter through the complex at 540 E. Gladstone Street.

The mother ran after the man and managed to free the girl, who was not injured, police said.

Officers searched the area but did not find the man.

He was described as a Latino man in his 20s with a bald head, about 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds. He was said to be wearing blue-jean shorts and a short-sleeved white-collared shirt with a blue and red stripe.

Detectives are asking that anyone with information about the incident or the sketch to contact the Azusa Police Department Detective Bureau at (626) 812-3200.