VENTURA : Woman Escapes Kidnap Attempt

A 38-year-old county employee managed to escape a brazen attempt by six men to kidnap her in front of the Ventura County Government Center Wednesday afternoon after a Good Samaritan stopped his car and yelled at the assailants.

The attempted abduction occurred at 1:10 p.m. 100 yards from the County Jail and the County Courthouse.

The woman, whose identity was withheld, told deputies that she was walking near Thille Street and Victoria Avenue on her lunch hour when a beat-up car with six men in it pulled up along side her.

A man in the rear seat opened his door, grabbed the woman around the waist and attempted to pull her into the vehicle, said Sheriff’s Lt. Gary Backman. The woman attempted to pull away, he said.

At that moment, another driver stopped his car and yelled at the assailant, who released the woman before the car sped away. The helpful witness did not remain at the scene, Backman said.

The woman said she did not recognize any of her assailants, said Sheriff’s Lt. Joe Harwell. She described them as six Hispanic men in their 20s.

Harwell said he could not recall any similar crime attempt at the government center. “With the location, the traffic and the time of day, it was a pretty brazen attempt,” Harwell said.

Investigators are seeking any witnesses who observed the suspects’ vehicle, especially the Good Samaritan who scared them off, he said. Witnesses should call detectives in the sheriff’s major crime unit at 654-2349.

The suspects’ car was described as a faded blue Chevrolet sedan that appeared to be more than 20 years old, Backman said.