A naked man was arrested over the weekend in Portland, Oregon, after he attempted to kidnap a 7-year-old girl from her mother at a waterfront park, according to police.
Shortly before 7 p.m. on Saturday, Portland Police received reports of a naked man running around Tom McCall Waterfront Park, with one of the callers saying the man had attempted to punch them in the head.
But police said all officers were busy responding to other calls and were not available at the time.
About 12 minutes later, another caller reported that the suspect had grabbed a young girl and attempted to pull her away from her mother.
Officers then responded to the scene and found the nude suspect swimming nearby in the Willamette River.
The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Daniel Vasey, was arrested and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of first and second-degree attempted kidnapping, first-degree custodial interference, third-degree assault and harassment.
Police said the 7-year-old girl was not seriously injured. She was checked by paramedics at the scene and treated for scratches, but she was not transported by ambulance to a hospital.
An investigation revealed that Vasey grabbed the girl’s arm and that her parents and bystanders stepped in to prevent him from taking her, police said.
The girl’s mother grabbed her other arm and tried to prevent Vasey from taking her daughter, and the struggle over the girl was so significant that she was lifted off the ground.
The child’s father and bystanders also jumped in and punched, slapped and pulled on the suspect, causing him to release the girl. One bystander used pepper spray on him in an effort to keep him away from people.
The young girl and her family told officers that they were tourists visiting Portland from out of state.
