Laguna Niguel Man Arrested in Alleged Abduction Attempt

A 31-year-old financial consultant was arrested at his home Wednesday after he allegedly tried to abduct a 5-year-old girl when she was playing outside her house the day before, authorities said.

Edward Richard Larson was placed in Orange County Jail after sheriff’s deputies traced a vehicle license number to Larson’s 1979 Mercedes-Benz, Lt. Bob Rivas said.

Rivas said that the girl was playing in front of her house in Mission Viejo at 4 p.m. Tuesday when a man in a Mercedes stopped and “asked her if she was a little boy.”

The driver then asked “if she knew the difference between a boy and a girl,” Rivas said. “He tried to entice her to get in the car to the point where he demanded she get into the car.”

The girl refused. At that point, her father looked out of the house and saw the incident, police said.

The driver fled, but the father flagged down a neighbor who was driving by, Rivas said. The neighbor drove after the Mercedes and got a license number.

“We are very concerned about this type of situation, and there could be some other (similar) situations that have gone unreported,” Rivas said.

Larson’s bail was set at $500,000.