A man who tried to kidnap a 10-year-old girl while she was playing in the front yard of her California home is still at large with surveillance footage capturing the terrifying moment.
The suspect is seen walking down the street with a peculiar gait before stopping in the driveway of Kassidy Angodung’s home in Murrieta in southwest Riverside around 8 p.m. on Sunday.
The man is heard to say to Kassidy, “Hey, what kind of shirt is that,” before lunging at the girl in an apparent attempt to kidnap the child.
Kassidy’s father Michael Angodung said he was numb from the incident that shattered his perception of their “very kid-friendly family neighborhood.”
He told KTLA 5 that it had been a normal Sunday night for his family, but now warns parents to stay vigilant. “I let my guard down quite a bit,” he said.
Michael Angodung (right), the father of Kassidy (left), who was involved in the near-kidnapping, warns parents to stay vigilant
A man who tried to kidnap a 10-year-old girl while she was playing in the front yard of her California home is still at large with surveillance footage capturing the terrifying moment
“It was just unexpected on a Sunday night. My daughter likes to play volleyball. So she asked me, “Dad, can we play outside?” and (I said), ‘Of course. I’ll give you 10 minutes because I have to go back and do some chores,” Angodung said.
The father told how he had played with Kassidy in the front yard and stepped away from her side to get some water from inside.
He said he saw the man walking down the street, but gave it no further thought.
“You couldn’t mistake his gait. He had a weird walk,” he said.
Less than a minute after entering his home, he said his daughter came running in to look for him.
“Then she runs all the way into the garage and says, ‘Dad, Dad, there’s a man trying to kidnap me!” And I’m like, ‘Stop playing, what do you mean trying to kidnap you?’
The neighbors’ security cameras show the man walking down the sidewalk wearing a blue cap and flip flops, while another angle shows the moment the man tries to grab Kassidy.
The man is heard saying, “Hey, what’s that shirt?” Let me see that shirt” before rushing toward the young girl.
The man, who had a peculiar gait, can be seen walking down the street before stopping in the driveway of the young girl’s home in Murrieta in southwest Riverside.
The man is heard saying, “Hey, what’s that shirt?” Let me see that shirt” before rushing toward the young girl
“It sort of pierces your veil of security. I always think, ‘Hey, this is a really kid-friendly family neighborhood,’ Angodung said.
The man then walked down the street without hesitation and has not been seen since. Angodung immediately called the Riverside County Police Department.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigated the area, going door to door, asking neighbors for surveillance footage and asking if they had seen anything.
“This is a very, very quiet neighborhood. You always see kids playing outside,” Murrieta resident Jessica Vicencio told KTLA. “So it’s a little unnerving.”
Another Murrieta resident, Rob Potts, said he wished he could have done something to help.
Angodung said he played with Kassidy (pictured) in the front yard and went off her side to get some water from inside
Angodung that he is thankful his daughter was not physically harmed but believes the encounter had a traumatic impact on her
‘It makes me angry. I have four kids and I never think it’s going to happen in an area like this,” he said. “I wish I’d been out and doing something.”
Angodung told NBC Los Angeles that he is thankful his daughter was not physically harmed, but believes the encounter had a traumatic impact on her.
He told the outlet that she has been having trouble sleeping and no longer wants to walk or bike to school.
“I would say to parents, it’s never too early or too late to talk to your kids about the dangers of our world right now,” he said.