SHERMAN OAKS : Man Arrested After Girl, 11, Accosted
A Van Nuys man described by police as a “habitual sex offender” was arrested after allegedly making obscene remarks to an 11-year-old girl and leading her to believe that he wanted to kidnap her, Los Angeles police said Tuesday.
Detective Craig Rhudy of the Van Nuys Division said investigators believe that the man, 43-year-old Robert Komarenski, has similarly approached other girls in Van Nuys and Sherman Oaks in the past several months and that they were seeking the public’s help in documenting such incidents.
“We know for a fact there are other victims,” Rhudy said.
Komarenski was being held in Van Nuys Jail on Tuesday on suspicion of attempted kidnaping. He was arrested Monday after witnesses noticed him riding a red bicycle in the 5400 block of Hazeltine Avenue in Sherman Oaks and stopping a young girl, police said.
The child began screaming and ran into the street where she was almost struck by a car, police said.
Rhudy said witnesses and the girl, who was located with the help of school officials, identified Komarenski as the man who approached her.
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