Police Seek Man Photographing Little Girls

Los Angeles: Los Angeles police have released a composite sketch of a man suspected in at least 5 incidents of photographing little girls. In each of the cases, the man has led his victims away from elementary schools in South Los Angeles.

"We think the man has a tie to the neighborhood," said LAPD spokesman Lieutenant Paul Vernon. "The composite is quite descriptive, and we think anyone that might know this man will recognize him. We want to arrest him before he can physically harm any children."

The most recent incident occurred this morning when a father dropped off his 6-year-old daughter at the 49th Street Elementary School around 7 AM. Witnesses saw a bald Hispanic man take the girl by the hand and walk her away from the school. The two ended up in the backyard
of 883 East 49th Street, where the man took pictures of the little girl, giving her directions to re-arrange her clothing.

When the man lay on the little girl, fully clothed, two women confronted him. They chased the man for a block before they lost sight of him. As a precaution, the girl, appearing physically unharmed, was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.

The suspect left behind a jacket, so police brought in a K-9 scent dog to pick up the suspect’s trail. Detectives are continuing to investigate.

Today’s incident represents the fifth similar incident by the same suspect since April 2006. He may be responsible for a sixth incident related to a school east of the city border in the county jurisdiction. In each case, he contacts a girl between the ages of 6 and 9, then walks her away from the school to an alley or secluded yard to take pictures of her.

The suspect is Hispanic in his thirties or forties, with a short, stubby physical build. He is balding, with salt-and-pepper hair. He was described with a mustache in today’s incident. The five incidents in the City of Los Angeles are:

•April 28, 2006, 7:35 AM – Main Street Elementary School – nearby alley
•May 9, 2006, 7:10 AM – Main Street Elementary School – adjoining street
•August 8, 2006, 7:45 AM – 49th Street Elementary School – nearby house
•August 8, 2006, 8:00 AM – Wadsworth Elementary School – entered school grounds

Anyone with information is asked to call Newton Street Detectives at 323-846-6576. On weekends and during off-hours, call the 24-hour toll free number at 1-877-LAWFULL (1-877-529-3855).