This is the terrifying moment a 38-year-old man tried to kidnap an eight-year-old California boy in front of the boy’s parents during a family celebration.
The ordeal took place around 8 p.m. on March 22, when the boy’s parents were celebrating the opening of their new deli, Newport Quick Stop Liquor and Deli.
A strange man, now named Christopher Aaron Higginbotham, tried to kidnap his son while he was playing on the sidewalk.
The boy’s father, Adrián Villanueva, told the local CBS8 News that his family was enjoying dinner on the patio when he saw a man enter their store three different times in one night, who was acting erratically.
The third time, Villanueva said he “grabbed my son right here.” She just grabbed him and pulled him down. And he said, ‘this is my son, this is my son,'” she recalled.
The possible kidnapper is seen grabbing Villanueva’s eight-year-old son
The man grabs him as he is about to run out into the street before the boy’s father intervenes.
The boy’s father, Adrian Villanueva, said: “I pushed him. I told him, ‘No, he’s not your son,’ and then I tried to get him out. And that’s when he grabbed my son and started running away down the street.
The surprised father said: ‘I pushed him. I said, ‘no, he’s not your son,’ and then I tried to get him out. And that’s when he grabbed my son and started running away down the street,” he recalled.
Security guards from some nearby businesses and community members saw what was happening and intervened. They were able to restrain the man until the police arrived.
The man was identified as 38-year-old Higginbotham. He was arrested for false imprisonment and assault, San Diego Police Department PIO Lt. Dan Meyer told DailyMail.com.
Meyer said Higginbotham was arrested at 9:30 a.m. March 27 at 1950 Abbott Street in Ocean Beach by Western Beach Team officers.
He was charged with false imprisonment and assault, and said the case is still under active investigation.
It was later revealed that Higginbotham was a wanted fugitive and had a history of felony convictions related to assault with a deadly weapon, according to a 2018 report. stop crime.
When Villanueva discovered that it was the same man who tried to kidnap his son, he decided to press charges.
‘Today it was my son, tomorrow it could be someone else’s son. That’s why I’m pressing charges,” Villanueva said.
The attacker was identified as Christopher Aaron Higginbotham, 38; San Diego police told DailyMail.com he was arrested Wednesday for false imprisonment and assault.
Bystanders are seen restraining the would-be kidnapper until police arrive.
The boy’s father recalled his fear during the kidnapping attempt: “I didn’t care if he had guns or anything, I’m just trying to rescue my son.”
She said her son was traumatized by the event: “When I saw him with teary eyes and I saw his mother and she started crying, it was terrible.”
Villanueva, a father of four, said he did not initially press charges because he felt sorry for the man.
He told NBC San Diego that the man kept saying, “I miss my family.” I miss my family,’ and he assumed the man was coming from family trauma, but after reviewing the video he decided to press charges.
“I realized how serious the incident was,” he said. ‘I want to protect each and every child. There are bad people on the street and I don’t want that to happen to anyone else.’
The family also owns a restaurant in the Ocean Beach area and spends a lot of time there, but, their son told his father, he no longer wants to go to his parents’ businesses.
“He said, ‘Dad, I don’t want to go back to Newport anymore. There are bad people in the streets. I don’t want to go back there. Please don’t take me there,” Villanueva said.
Her advice to other parents: “Be aware and take care of the children,” she said.
He added: “I want people who come to the store to feel safe.”