An Oregon man has been arrested after allegedly grabbing a 7-year-old girl at a Portland park and pulling her so violently that she was lifted off the ground during a desperate struggle with her parents, police said.
Daniel C. Vasey, 31, was taken into custody following the frightening incident at Waterfront Park on Saturday, July 11, according to the Portland Police Bureau.
Police said dispatchers first received two calls shortly before 7 p.m. reporting a naked man running through the park. A second caller also claimed the man had attempted to punch them in the head.
Officers were handling other active emergencies at the time and were unable to respond immediately.
A more urgent call soon followed, with witnesses reporting that the same man had allegedly grabbed a 7-year-old girl and tried to pull her away from her mother.
Investigators said Vasey seized the child by one arm while her mother grabbed her other arm in a desperate effort to hold onto her.
The struggle became so intense that the girl was lifted completely off the ground, police said.
The child’s father and several witnesses rushed in to help, allegedly punching, slapping and pulling at the suspect until he finally released her.
After the girl was freed, a bystander sprayed the man with an irritant to prevent him from attacking anyone else, according to police.
The child did not suffer any serious physical injuries.
Responding officers later found Vasey wading in the Willamette River, which runs alongside the park, and placed him under arrest.
Vasey has been charged with first-degree attempted kidnapping, second-degree attempted kidnapping, first-degree custodial interference, third-degree assault and harassment.
It was not immediately clear whether he had entered a plea or hired an attorney to speak on his behalf.
Should give the perk the Death penalty. Thank God he didn’t succeed in abducting the child. The judge will probably give him a lite sentence and turn him loose to do it again…