Woman kidnapped outside Canoga Park mall, sexually assaulted
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Detectives were seeking the public’s help Monday in tracking down an armed man who allegedly kidnapped a woman from the Westfield Topanga Mall and sexually assaulted her during what authorities described as a three-hour hostage ordeal.
The crime was reported on the Fourth of July around 5:30 p.m., according to detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division.
The victim had just finished work and was in the parking lot standing near her car, police said, when she was approached by the suspect.
The man brandished a knife and forced the victim into her car, according to the LAPD. The woman was held hostage for about three hours and was forced to drive to locations in the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles.
The victim was sexually assaulted during the incident. The suspect also stole property from the victim and used her ATM card to access her bank account, police said.
The suspect is described as Arican American is between 5-feet 6-inches and 5-feet 8-inches tall, the LAPD said. He weighs between 140 pounds and 160 pounds.
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