Thwarted Kidnapper Still Sought by Police

Los Angeles police detectives Friday asked for help finding a man who tried to kidnap a woman, shot at a bystander, then exchanged gunfire with an undercover officer in Hollywood last week.

“The suspect committed three very serious crimes in the span of 10 minutes and is willing to shoot at people unprovoked,” said Det. Mike Whalen of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division.

Police said the unidentified man tried to abduct a woman while she was walking home through an alley in the 6100 block of Eleanor Avenue about 8:15 a.m. on Feb. 22.

Whalen said the attacker, believed to be in his 20s, grabbed the 32-year-old woman from behind and tried to force her into a two-door, black Honda Civic. The woman, who told police she did not know the assailant, was able to get away by kicking, screaming and apparently scaring the man, Whalen said.

The attacker drove away and fired several shots at a 37-year-old man who was standing north of the alley, Whalen said. The man, who witnessed the attempted kidnapping, suffered a minor wound and was treated at the scene, Det. Robert Bub said.

Police said an undercover Los Angeles officer who was in the area investigating an unrelated case heard the gunshots and followed the fleeing man in an unmarked car. The man stopped his car at Orange Drive just south of Melrose Avenue and fired several shots at the officer, Whalen said.

The officer fired back, shattering the gunman’s rear window, driver-side window and front windshield, Whalen said. The officer was not hurt.

Investigators believe the man was wounded, either by a gunshot or shattered glass, Bub said.

The man is wanted for attempted kidnapping and attempted murder, officials said.

Anyone with information may call investigators at the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division at (213) 485-2531.