BELLEVUE, Wash. — The Bellevue Police Department says officers arrested someone accused of trying to kidnap a 16-year-old girl in the Lake Hills neighborhood.
On Monday morning, around 8:00 a.m., officers say someone called to report a person matching the description of the suspect.
They say the person was boarding a public transit bus near the same Lake Hills QFC grocery store where the attempt happened Friday.
Officers say they followed the bus until the person got off at the intersection of 116th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 4th Street, and then arrested them.
“I want to thank our community members and Bellevue Police’s investigators and officers for taking swift and immediate action to apprehend an individual who was a danger to this community,” said Wendell Shirley, Chief of Police. “This collaboration continues to demonstrate how a strong partnership between law enforcement and residents can keep communities safe.”
On Friday, the teen told police that a man who was riding the same bus as her tried to take her when they got off at the same stop.
“The man that had been on the bus with her also got off, followed her down the sidewalk and then grabbed her backpack and attempted to drag her into a bush area,” said Officer Seth Tyler, a Public Information Officer with the department.
Investigators say the teen made enough noise to get the attention of someone walking by who stepped in to help and called 911.
Bellevue Police continue to investigate Friday’s incident.
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