SAN DIEGO — San Diego Police arrested a suspect in connection with two attempted kidnappings at Mission Valley Mall. He is now facing two kidnapping charges.
Prosecutors charged 42-year-old Arturo Rene Lujan after he grabbed one 6-year-old girl Tuesday and a 5-year-old girl two days later.
Criminal defense attorney Gretchen von Helms says even though the suspect didn't get far, the children are still considered to have been legally kidnapped.
"Once you move a victim against that person's will several feet, that's a finished kidnap," von Helms said.
Vince is the father of the 6-year-old girl who was kidnapped for a few moments at Mission Valley Mall on Tuesday. Vince didn’t share his last name to protect their family’s identity but wanted to alert other San Diegans to stay vigilant.
"Fight back. Scratch. Claw. Because God forbid, you're not as lucky as we are, and your child doesn't return in that moment," Vince advised.
Both children are safe with their families.
Lujan has two criminal offenses from Florida for carrying a concealed weapon and leaving the scene without giving information.
Vince says knowing what to do before anything bad happens is key to staying safe. The family has made sure to have a plan in place.
"My daughter, thankfully we've gone over it before and so she knew exactly what to do: yell and scream," he said confidently.
Vince describes the moments his daughter was taken and then released, allegedly by Lujan.
"They were approaching the parking lot and a gentleman came up right from behind my daughter and picked her up and turned around. My wife within a second or two after processing it, realized and said ‘Hey, what’s going on?"
"He (the suspect) immediately responded, 'Oh I thought this was someone else,'” Vince shared. “My wife was holding a cast iron skillet in her hand and threatened to swing at him and at that point, he put her down."
"We've told our kids at any point, if there's someone you don't know or don't recognize, if they touch you or pick you up or try to coax you to go anywhere or do anything, immediately run and yell as loud as you can," Vince said.
Von Helms says the penalty for kidnapping is 11 years behind bars.
"If you kidnap a child for ransom or other bad purposes, that elevates that punishment up to life."
Vince says he's thankful the controversial license plate readers San Diego Police used to catch the suspect in his daughter's kidnapping worked.
"If you do choose to use these things (license plate readers), that they use it for the correct intentions. And I believe in these cases, it's used for the correct intentions."
Vince offers this advice: After you fight back, live your life.
"There's still evil out there but don't let it stop you. Go out there and enjoy your summer. Enjoy the mall because that's what those places are for," Vince concluded.
Vince wants to thank San Diego Police for taking the time and care with his baby girl to make sure she was okay after being in a scary situation.
He also wants to thank Target Mission Valley Security for stepping into action to help his family, too.
Lujan's first court appearance is an arraignment that's scheduled for June 25.
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