KIRO 7 spoke with one woman who claims a man attempted to kidnap her and her niece outside the Deseret Industries Thrift Store in Puyallup before he was arrested.
She did not want to be identified for fear for her safety.
She tells KIRO 7 that as she and her niece were leaving the store, her niece noticed a man following them to their vehicle.
“I got in the car and just as I got in and closed the door, she locked it. And I heard someone trying to open it,” she said.
She says the 74-year-old man became aggressive and even stared both of them down and followed them out of the parking lot on foot.
“He tried very hard to lock eye contact with me. So, it was very scary,” she said.
She tells KIRO 7 her sense of security for her own community is completely gone.
“I am terrified to walk out my front door,” she said.
“Well, I immediately went home and purchased…ordered a taser, pepper spray. My husband and I went gun shopping yesterday,” she continued.
The Pierce County Prosecutors Office tells KIRO 7 there wasn’t enough evidence to prove attempted kidnapping.
However, the man’s description matched an assault with sexual motivation incident at a Walmart.
He was found and arrested for that incident and charged with fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation.
©2025 Cox Media Group