Students, Parents Beware in Sylmar NR12382pv

UPDATE: Composite Sketch

Los Angeles.  LAPD detectives have released a sketch of the man two sisters described as trying to lure them to his Jeep on the evening of August 5, 2012, near the Sylmar Leadership Academy.  When the girls refused to approach the man, he exposed himself to them.

“The sketch is quite distinct,” said Lt. Paul Vernon, commanding officer of the Mission Detective Division.  “We think he might look familiar to someone who knows him, especially if that familiar person also drives a dark Jeep.”

The incident happened on August 5, 2012, around 7 p.m., while the 11-year-old girl was walking around the school with her 10-year-old sister.  The girls noticed a black or dark blue, older-model Jeep circle the block several times.

The suspect is a white man in his 20s.  He was wearing a light green shirt and dark green shorts.  The Jeep had a hard top and was black or navy blue.  In the sketch, the girls described a thin growth of facial hair along the man’s jaw line.

The Sylmar Leadership Academy was closed at the time of the incident.  Police have stepped up patrols in the area of the academy and the nearby Sylmar Park.

Anyone with information on this crime is urged to call LAPD Mission Detectives, at (818) 838-9971. After hours and on weekends, calls may be directed to (818) 756-4800.  Anonymous tips can also be called into Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or by texting 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Online tips may be placed at www.LAPDOnline.org, click on “webtips” and follow the prompts.