Toddler snatched from stroller

A 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping Friday after police said he snatched a toddler from an unattended stroller outside a downtown Los Angeles toy store.

Witnesses told Los Angeles Police Department officers that Mario Salcedo, who police said was drunk and claims to be homeless, picked up the 22-month-old boy as his mother shopped at Top Zone, 256 Winston St. The store, one of several small shops that dot that section of skid row, required that strollers be kept outside.

When witnesses told the boy’s mother, a 33-year-old Gardena woman, that her baby was taken, police said, she chased the man down the street. A passerby described as a “38-year-old Good Samaritan” stopped and held the suspect until police arrived, authorities said.

“There are several lessons for all of us here,” said Lt. Paul Vernon, head of the detective division at the LAPD’s Central Division police station. “First, leave the stroller at the door but take the child with you; second, don’t underestimate the honor of some of the people who find themselves on skid row; and, finally, remember this incident the next time someone questions why the police cite for illegal behavior like drinking and being drunk in public.”

Salcedo was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.