Three kidnapping attempts reported
Police are warning the public about a man who has attempted to kidnap women in the southwest and west valley.
The suspect, described in two cases as 35- to 45-year-old with a Spanish accent and driving a midsize white pickup, drove up to a 17-year-old in the 4000 block of Arville Street near Flamingo Road and asked for directions about 11:30 p.m. on April 1.
The teen ignored the man but he followed her in his truck, eventually driving onto the sidewalk in front of the teen and trying to force her into the pickup, police said.
The teen fought him off and ran away.
About 9:45 a.m. on April 4, a man drove up to a 35-year-old woman who was jogging near Hills Center Drive and Hillpointe Road and asked her to "come here," police said.
The man demanded that the woman get into his car at gunpoint but she ran to a nearby residence and called police.
Her description of the man and his truck matched the description police had been given by the teen in the prior case.
The most recent incident happened about 5:30 p.m. Monday, when a pickup pulled up alongside a high school student waiting for a bus at Rainbow Boulevard and Spring Valley Parkway, between Flamingo Road and Tropicana Avenue. The driver showed a gun when trying to order the girl into the truck.
In this case, the description of the pickup driver was a little different because he had a bald or shaved head, but investigators believe he may be the same man involved in the April 1 and April 4 cases because of the similarities in the methods used, Las Vegas police Lt. Ted Snodgrass said.
"The MO (modus operandi) is pretty close," Snodgrass said, pointing out the use of the pickup and the gun. "It's pretty scary. We need people to be aware of this, especially women who are out on their own."
Snodgrass asked that anyone with information about the incidents or the suspect call the robbery unit at 828-3591.
