Man sought who tried to buy babies in park
Los Angeles police on Thursday appealed for the public’s help to find a man who approached nannies on two separate occasions at a San Fernando Valley park and asked to purchase babies in their care.
Both incidents took place this week at Encino Park (also known as Genesta Park) near Genesta Avenue and Ventura Boulevard, said Lt. Paul Vernon of the Los Angeles Police Department.
“This type of behavior is quite unusual,” Vernon said. “We’d like to identify this man as quickly as possible.”
On Monday at 2:30 p.m., the man walked up to a nanny who was near the park swing set and offered to buy the baby in her care, Vernon said.
On Tuesday, the nanny saw the man approach a different baby sitter, who was caring for another child, Vernon said. When the man left, the woman learned that he had made a similar offer to the other nanny, he said.
The man is described as bald, white and blue-eyed, in his 40s, and weighing between 200 to 250 pounds, Vernon said. He was last seen wearing a yellow shirt and blue jeans.
Police ask that anyone with information about the man call the LAPD’s Juvenile Division at (213) 485-4658 or (213) 485-4220.
andrew.blankstein
@latimes.com
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