A man accused of attempting to kidnap a 7-year-old girl at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland has been taken into custody, according to authorities.
On Saturday, July 11, just before 7 p.m., 911 calls began coming in, including one about a man wandering around naked near Southwest Naito Parkway and another about a man punching the caller in the head.
Despite these reports and the Bureau of Emergency Communication informing Portland police, several officers were preoccupied with another call regarding a suspected disturbance with a pistol at an apartment complex, and cops in the neighborhood were unable to respond immediately, Portland police said.
“At 7:03 p.m., a third caller reported that the suspect grabbed a young girl and pulled her away from her mother,” the Portland Police Bureau stated in a press release. “With no available Central Officers, dispatchers sent officers from North Precinct.”
Daniel C. Vasey, 31, is accused of seizing the girl’s arm while her mother grabbed the other arm and attempted to stop him.
“Naked guy had come up and grabbed the little girl, and I heard her screaming, and I saw the mom come up trying to push him off of her and hitting him a couple of times,” said Wheel Fun Rentals Manager Emilio Zamora, who was one of the persons who phoned 911. “And yeah, that must have been really scary for that little girl as well.”
Police stated the fight between the suspect and the mother was so intense that the small girl was lifted off the ground as each of them gripped one of her arms.
“The child’s father, mother, and bystanders intervened, punching, slapping, and pulling on the suspect.” “That prompted the man to release the girl,” PPB stated.
According to police, a bystander doused the man with pepper spray or another irritant in an attempt to keep him from fleeing.
According to officials, Vasey was eventually found naked wading in the Willamette River.
The girl was evaluated by medical staff and treated for scratches, but she was not seriously injured and was not sent by ambulance, according to authorities.
Officials say the victim and her family were visiting Portland as out-of-state visitors.
Vasey was taken into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of first-degree attempted kidnapping, second-degree attempted kidnapping, first-degree custodial interference, third-degree assault, and harassment.
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