Another attempted child abduction in White Center

SEATTLE -- For the second time this month, King County sheriff's deputies said a man has tried to snatch a child in the White Center neighborhood.

Investigators said that about 11 p.m. Sunday night, a mother was in the bedroom with her 1-year-old son when she heard a noise and went to see what it was. When she returned to the bedroom, she saw a man trying to get into her bedroom window.

“Apparently, he had pulled the screen off and was reaching in as though he was going to climb through the window," Sgt. Cindi West said. "She screamed and her dad came into the room and started chasing the suspect. We do know that the suspect is a tall, thin white male and that he was wearing a gray hoodie and tan shorts.

“It was pretty clear that somebody was home at the time in this house. The TV was on in the room and so a person looking through the window could clearly see that there was a baby in the room and it’s interesting that they waited to get in the window until the mother of the child left the room," West said.

Detectives believe it’s possible this attempted abduction is related to an earlier child abduction attempt that happened on June 2 in the same 10400 block of 3rd Avenue SW. In that incident, a masked man tried to grab a toddler out of his yard.

Police also said that the suspect may have been involved in a residential burglary attempt of an occupied home that also occurred on June 2.

“Deputies swarmed the area immediately after we received the call," West said. "Within a short time, one of our deputies spotted a red Mazda pickup speeding from the area. It ran a stop sign and apparently was trying to get away. The deputy stopped the vehicle and before he had a chance to walk up and contact the driver, a female passenger got out of the vehicle and the vehicle sped off.”

The driver wrecked the vehicle a short distance away and the suspect took off running and got away. Police said it turned out the truck had been stolen from Seattle on May 31. The driver fit the description of the man trying to get in the woman’s house.

Detectives said parents need to be cautious.

“Something is going on," West said. "We believe the suspect is familiar with the neighborhood -- probably frequents the neighborhood -- because he’s aware of where these children are living.

"What we are asking people to do is to keep your windows and doors locked -- if you see anything suspicious call 911, even if your not sure and think this guy might live in the neighborhood, call us and let us determine whether it might be related.”

In the first attempted child abduction, the mother of a 3-year-old toddler threw herself over her son after a man attempted to grab the boy from their yard. In her attempt to protect her son, the suspect fought with the woman, causing her minor injuries.

The man in the June 2 incident has been described as a male about 6-feet tall and with a thin build. He was wearing a mask, dark gloves and dark clothing at the time of the incident.

If you have any information on the suspect or the woman who was with him in the stolen red Mazda truck, call the King County Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.