Police looking for suspect in attempted kidnapping of 8-year-old boy

SEATTLE -- Police are looking for a suspect in the attempted kidnapping of an 8-year-old boy Saturday.

A 21-year-old man was arrested earlier this week for allegedly trying to snatch the boy from the grounds of an apartment building in the First Hill neighborhood, the Seattle Police Department said.

But that man was cleared of any wrongdoing and police are looking for a separate suspect.



Surveillance cameras captured the suspect in the case. The man is wearing a white and red baseball cap and dark clothing. He was spotted at the scene hours before the incident, and now police want help identifying him.

The boy's father told officers he was inside their apartment at 120 Boren Avenue and the boy was playing in the breezeway of their building when one of his other sons screamed that a man was trying to take the 8-year-old.

The father said he ran outside and saw a man holding his son. At that point, the suspect dropped the boy and started to run south on Boren Avenue. The father gave chase but lost him. He then returned to the apartment and called police.

The 8-year-old boy told the man walked up to him and said, "I'm going to kidnap you."

Police arrested a man shortly after the incident, but he was cleared of the crime.

Anyone with information on the attempted kidnapping should call police at 206-233-5000.