GLENDALE, Ariz. — One man is in custody and charged with attempting to kidnap a girl as she was walking to school on Friday, according to Glendale police.
Police said the attempted kidnapping happened near the intersection of 43rd Avenue and Onyx Road on Friday morning.
A girl reported that a man she did not know tried to grab her as she was walking to Sunset Elementary School, which is at the intersection of 47th Avenue and Mountain View Road.
The 11-year-old student walked out of her second-story apartment and a man was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. As she was walking towards her school, a vehicle approached her, stopped in front of her and she saw the same man from her apartment driving.
She told police that he jumped out of his car and ran after her with his arms extended. When he failed to catch her, he could be seen walking back to his vehicle.
Officers were able to get surveillance video that identified the suspect's car. They were then able to contact the suspect , 37-year-old Joseph L. Ruiz, and arrested him that morning.
Police determined that he lived near the girl's apartment, but didn't know her personally.
He was charged with one count of attempted kidnapping and one count of custodial interference.
Ruiz was previously charged with attempted first-degree murder and pleaded guilty to aggravated assault back in 2014, according to police. However, investigators believe that this was Ruiz's first attempted kidnapping.
Prison records show Ruiz was released from the Arizona Department of Corrections in 2019 after serving a six-year sentence for aggravated assault.
Silent Witness:
Arizona's Silent Witness program allows people to send in tips and share information about crimes happening within their local communities.
The program shares unsolved felony case information in multiple ways, including TV, radio and social media.
Anyone who has information on a crime or recognizes a suspect described by the program is asked to call 480-948-6377, go to the program's website online or download the Silent Witness app to provide a tip. The identity of anyone who submits a tip is kept anonymous.
Calls to Silent Witness are answered 24/7 by a live person and submitted tips are accepted at all times. Submitted tips are then sent to the detective(s) in charge of the specific case.
Individuals who submit tips that lead to an arrest or indictment in the case can get a reward of up to $1,000.
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