A man has been arrested in El Cerrito after attempting to kidnap young girls on a popular walking path.
The path near Manila Avenue is popular with people and pets, and BART trains run above the paved lanes.
El Cerrito Police tells KRON4 News that a man tried to kidnap and sexually assault two young girls.
On Thursday, Jan. 24 in the afternoon, a father was walking with 8-year-old and 9-year-olds girls – his daughter and her friend.
The girls were just a few feet behind the dad, just before the suspect …
“The suspect, unknown to them, basically grabs the arm of one of the little girls,” Captain Robert De La Campa said. “She breaks free, essentially runs to father to say what’s going on behind. At that time the suspect grabs the other girl and basically tries to choke her.”
El Cerrito Police Captain Robert De La Campa says the father scared the suspect off but police found him just a few feet away by the entrance to the nearby DMV.
A crime like this is not common in this area.
“Things like this involving little children, very rare,” De La Campa said. “I don’t remember any actually.”
Now, 42-year-old Freddy Penate-Melara from Richmond is charged with attempted sexual assault. Investigators want to know if he’s been involved in other crimes.
Even though police arrested him, the dad says he won’t be back on the path for a while.
Police don’t think public safety is at risk right now because the suspect is behind bars being held on $2.5-million bail.
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