UPDATE 3/11 6:51 p.m.: A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the kidnapping attempt, officials said Wednesday. More from Reuters:
The teenager was taken into custody following several days of interviews, DNA testing and a search warrant on his home in Sprague, southwest of Spokane, where the kidnapping occurred, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office said.
Previously:
Washington state police are searching for a man who attempted to abduct a toddler.
The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office released video of a man picking up a toddler and racing down a sidewalk with the child in his arms on Sunday. Thanks to the quick-thinking of the child's siblings, 22-month-old Owen is back with his family, but the suspect remains at large, KXLY reports.
Michael Wright told the station that he had left his three children with a babysitter when the kidnapping attempt occurred at a park.
“I can't explain the feeling, the anxiety and everything that goes into finding out your children is missing or something has happened to them," Wright said.
Surveillance video shows a man bolting away from the park with the child in his arms. Moments later, 8-year-old Delicia and 10-year-old Brenden can be seen chasing the suspect. More from KXLY:
“This little girl come running around the corner screaming her head off,” witness Dorothy Giddings said.
Giddings was working nearby and, once she realized what was happening, sent her grandson and his friend to chase the man. She says it must have been an act of God when the kidnapper dropped little Owen in a vacant lot.
“I told that little girl, I said, 'Honey, you did exactly what you needed to do scream your head off.' That's what saved that baby. Her screaming and us running,” Giddings said.
The suspect fled on foot.
"It looks to me that this is a random act of trying to abduct a little boy," Lincoln County Undersheriff Kelly Watkins told KHQ. "We don't want to instill fear in to anyone, but at the same time they need to be aware."
Police described the suspect as a white male in his 30s, approximately six feet tall, with a mustache, according to the Seattle Times. He was last seen wearing a brown jacket and blue jeans. Anyone with information is urged to call Sheriff Wade Magers at 509-725-3501.
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