Federal Way police arrest man for luring, assault of 14-year-old girl he didn't know

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- A 51-year-old man is behind bars after allegedly assaulting a teen girl he didn't know, grabbing her and pulling her toward his truck.

Esequiel Medina-Vasquez is charged with luring and second-degree assault. He is in jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond.

Medina-Vasquez is a citizen of Mexico and has been deported at least three times, according to the King County Prosecutor's Office. He has a prior federal conviction of cocaine possession, and has been arrested for drug trafficking and DUI. He was most recently arrested for entering the country illegally in 2017.

His current immigration status was not immediately known.

According to court charging documents:

The victim, a 14-year-old girl, left school around 4 p.m. May 14 and was walking home near the 2500 block of SW 320th Street in Federal Way when a black truck drove past her. The driver of the truck, Medina-Vasquez, rolled down the window and began speaking to her in Spanish.

The victim kept walking since she didn't know Medina-Vasquez. But he pulled in front of her and got out of the truck, according to court documents. Medina-Vasquez allegedly kept talking to the victim in Spanish, but she refused to stop walking.

Medina-Vasquez suddenly grabbed the victim by the neck and led her to his truck, police said. He allegedly tried to clear off a seat in his truck to put the victim, but she managed to get free. She ran home and told her parents, who called police.

Police said the victim was holding on tightly to her parents, was "sobbing uncontrollably" and had a hard time being consoled during an interview with investigators.

A few days later, a news story was broadcast regarding the attempted kidnapping. Police received a call from a couple who had spotted the crime on May 14. They told police they followed Medina-Vasquez and confronted him in a parking lot following the failed luring attempt. He allegedly told the couple he didn't know the girl. He appeared intoxicated, according to court documents.

The couple snapped a picture of Medina-Vasquez's license plate and left. They reported the plate to police when they saw the news report about the luring.

Police took a picture of Medina-Vasquez to the victim, who positively identified him. Police said she grew short of breath and visibly distressed when they showed her the picture.

Medina-Vasquez was contacted at his home. He denied talking to the victim.

He was arrested and booked into the SCORE Correctional Facility.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.