An eighth-grade boy walking to Lewis Middle School in Allied Gardens was grabbed by the wrist by a stranger on East Twain Avenue around 8 a.m. last Tuesday, breaking free and sprinting home to call police before officers tracked down a suspect in a nearby parking garage. San Diego police arrested a 26-year-old man on suspicion of attempted kidnapping in connection with the incident.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the stranger approached the student on East Twain Avenue and attempted to pull the teen away while ordering him to follow, police said. The boy managed to wrench free and ran home, where he alerted his family and police. Officers also noted the man was suspected of being under the influence of a controlled substance.
San Diego police worked with the San Diego Unified School District Police Department to locate the suspect, who officials said was found in a parking garage off Fairmount Avenue, not far from where the encounter took place, the paper reported.
School Leader Praises Student's Response
Lewis Middle School principal Justin Phillips commended the student's quick thinking and courageous response in the aftermath of the attempted grab, per the same account. Phillips urged parents to discuss personal safety, alertness and surroundings with their children, and he suggested students walk with a friend and stick to busy, well-lit routes on their way to and from campus.
The attack near Lewis Middle School echoes a string of similar reports from San Diego County campuses over the years. In one case, a man was accused of grabbing a 13-year-old girl's wrist near Picador Boulevard and Palm Avenue and trying to pull her into a black van, according to NBC 7 San Diego. That same case saw Jose Plascencia, 50, charged with attempted kidnapping and false imprisonment tied to an alleged attempted kidnapping near Montgomery Middle School, the station reported.
Other San Diego-Area Cases Have Ended in Prison Time
Elsewhere in the county, a man named Rene Arturo Lujan Jr. grabbed a 6-year-old girl at a Mission Valley mall and attempted to put her in his car in June 2024, only to be stopped by a 17-year-old employee, Times of San Diego reported. Two days later, Lujan tried to kidnap a 5-year-old girl in a second incident, but was again thwarted, the outlet noted. A judge ultimately sentenced Lujan to 10 years in state prison this past April.
Under California law, attempted crimes that fail or are intercepted before completion can still carry criminal punishment. California Penal Code Section 664 states that when no other law specifies punishment for an attempt, a person who tries to commit a crime but fails, or is prevented or intercepted, shall still be subject to punishment under that section.
No further details on charges or court proceedings tied to the Nov. 3 arrest have been released. Parents in Allied Gardens are being encouraged to review walking routes and safety plans with their children as the school year continues.
