Man accused of kidnapping teen after offering ride in North Hills

A man was arrested Friday after police said he allegedly kidnapped a 16-year-old girl who had accepted a ride with her mother in the Mission Hills area of Los Angeles.

The incident began around 9:50 a.m. near Sepulveda and Nordhoff streets, according to LAPD Mission Division Capt. Garrett Payton.

Payton said the teen and her mother were approached by a man in a vehicle who offered them a ride to a McDonald’s restaurant at Sepulveda and Parthenia. The two voluntarily accepted the ride.

After arriving at the restaurant, the mother was about to get into the backseat with the teen when the driver suddenly sped away with the girl still inside the vehicle, police said.

The suspect then drove the teen to the 8500 block of Columbus Avenue, where she was able to get away, Payton said. 

Police described the case as a “valid kidnapping.” The teen’s mother is considered a witness to the incident.

The suspect was later arrested in the nearby area, police said.

On Monday, the LAPD released a sketch of a man suspected of kidnapping two teenage girls in North Hills on March 15.

In that incident, the suspect similarly approached the victims, who are 11 and 16 years old, while they were walking near the intersection of Sepulveda Boulevard and Nordhoff Street, and asked if they needed a ride.

The male suspect in that incidents , described to be 21 to 23 years old, was driving a dark green, older model Honda Civic, police said.

After numerous offers, the girls got in the vehicle, but the man drove to a different location than they had requested.

Authorities said they are working to contact previous victims to determine whether they can identify the suspect or connect him to other incidents.

The investigation remains active.

Anyone with information can contact Mission Division Detectives at (818) 838-9810 or contact LA Regional Crime Stoppers at www.lacrimestoppers.org.