A man has been taken into custody by Homestead Police following an attempt at abduction on Monday in the Homestead Pavilion on 2400 Northeast 10th Court. The suspect, 56-year-old David Gross Andersen, was reported as having approached a resident with a plea for help with his wife. Andersen's approach seemed all too familiar to officials, mirroring an incident just last week, as reported by WSVN. Following the incident, police established probable cause and arrested Andersen.
Earlier, a similar occurrence was noted on Halloween night when Andersen allegedly targeted a 20-year-old woman in the parking lot of a Marshalls store at Homestead Town Square. The mother of the woman, Jennifer Arroyo, recounted to Local 10 how the suspect made an attempt to grab her daughter when she grew suspicious and tried to walk away. The daughter managed to elude capture and Andersen left the scene. Police received a similar report again on Monday about a man at the Homestead Pavilion shopping center, approaching someone with the same story about needing help with his wife.
Arroyo's impressions of the man's motives were clear. "It's obvious that he was trying to get her to get closer to his vehicle so that he could take her," she told Local 10. Authorities have linked Andersen to the attempted kidnapping at Town Square Plaza, additionally revealing an outstanding felony warrant for check fraud against him. Andersen now faces multiple charges including loitering and attempted kidnapping.
Currently, Andersen is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. His bond was listed as “to be set” as of Tuesday morning, according to Local 10.
