Two Teens Escape Attempted Kidnapping in LA North Hills

Two teenage girls escaped an attempted kidnapping in the North Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon after jumping from a suspect's vehicle, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The incident began around 5:20 p.m. near North Hills Community Park, close to Columbus Avenue and Acre Street. The girls, ages 13 and 16, were walking when a man in his early 20s approached them in an older four-door sedan and offered them a ride. They declined and continued on foot. Several blocks away, near Nordhoff Street and Columbus Avenue, the man returned and made the offer again, which they refused. He persisted, approaching a third time at the same intersection, and the girls accepted the ride, police said.

Once inside the vehicle, the suspect locked the doors and drove eastbound, ignoring the girls' directions to their intended destination. Instead, he headed to a secluded cul-de-sac in the 8900 block of Lemona Avenue, near Sunburst Street, a residential area with limited foot and vehicle traffic. There, he offered the girls money, alcohol, and drugs before unzipping his shorts and demanding sexual favors in exchange for payment, according to Detective Efren Gutierrez...