Two men suspected of attempting to abduct a 15-year-old girl near Grandview Surf Beach in Encinitas were arrested Friday.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department identified the suspects as Christopher White, 27, and Jeremiah Owens, 28.
White was arrested in Encinitas and Owens in Escondido, according to sheriff’s Media Relations Officer Melissa Aquino.
Both have been booked on suspicion of kidnapping with the intent to commit rape, false imprisonment, assault with the intent to commit rape and conspiracy, Aquino said.
Deputies pulled White over and took him into custody just before 11 a.m. in the 1400 block of Summit Avenue in Encinitas after a witness reported seeing a pickup truck matching the description of the one used by the suspects, according to Aquino.
“Owens was taken into custody, without incident, by the Regional Fugitive Task Force at his home in Escondido at about 6:40 p.m.,” Aquino said.
The victim was waxing her surfboard in front of her family’s home in the 1600 block of Neptune Avenue in Encinitas about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday when a slim man in board shorts grabbed her from behind, tackled her and pinned her to the ground, authorities said.
As the assailant tried to drag the teen toward a nearby pickup truck occupied by a second man, she was able to break free and run into her home. She was unharmed.
The men then fled.
“The response from the North Coastal Sheriff’s Station, as well as help from the media in getting the information out and the public calling in tips, led to a quick arrest in this case,” Sheriff Bill Gore said.
—City News Service