Police: Man Tries to Kidnap Girl on Lark

An unidentified Hispanic man in his mid-40s is being sought by after a 17-year-old girl walking on westbound Lark Avenue said he tried to kidnap her Sunday afternoon.

According to authorities, the incident happened after 4 p.m. when the 5-foot-6-inches-tall man, who was driving a small dark brown or black car, offered her a ride and approached the young woman, on the north side of the street from the

Police described the suspect as weighing about 150 pounds, being clean-shaven, with black, slicked-back, medium-length hair, wearing a red T-shirt with a large circular logo on the front and dirty blue jeans with paint splatters on them. The victim said the suspect had no discernible accent and she didn't notice scars, marks or tattoos.

When she refused to get in his car, police say the suspect stopped the vehicle on the north curb ahead of her, exited the vehicle and opened the passenger door. He then approached the victim, grabbed her arm and bent down as if trying to lift her.

She pulled from his grasp, punching the suspect in the face and kneeing him in the groin, according to police. The suspect then released his grip of the girl, returned to the vehicle and drove away westbound on Lark toward Winchester Boulevard.

The suspect's vehicle is described as a sedan, hatchback or station wagon, possibly a mid-80s VW Jetta, or similar-looking vehicle. The girl also told police the car had several large areas painted dark blue or black and its rear windows were tinted and had a manual transmission.

An alert flyer was distributed to all Santa Clara County law enforcement agencies and the news, which police announced in a press release, was also shared with all Los Gatos and Monte Sereno schools.

Los Gatos Monte Sereno police detectives are actively investigating the incident and they ask anyone with information about the attempted kidnapping or know of a person or vehicle matching the suspect and car description provided, to contact Detective Kevin Elliott at 408-827-3211.