Girl, 14, Grabbed Near Metro Station in Hawthorne, Kidnapped, Sexually Assaulted

LASD

A sketch of the suspect.

A man made a brazen grab for a 14-year-old who was walking up stairs to the Metro Green Line Crenshaw station in Hawthorne: He got her, kidnapped her, sexually assaulted her and tried to rape her before the brave girl got away.

Such blatant crimes suggest a propensity for violence and low impulse control that has authorities on high alert for this guy.

It all started about 9 p.m. Saturday outside the station in the 11900 Block of S. Crenshaw Blvd., sheriff's deputies say.

Why have they taken so long to tell us? Maybe they thought they could catch the perp without having to scare the public about a sexual predator on the loose. In any case, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department isn't exactly lightening fast with these things -- sometimes.

Deputies say the suspect grabbed the girl and pulled her into a nearby car, a 1990s four-door compact, red in color, and smelling of cigarettes inside.

He drove the victim to a townhouse that was about 10 minutes away and proceeded to attack her, but he didn't rape her. She ran off before he could get that far, deputies said.

She got a pretty good look at him, including a telling tattoo. A sheriff's statement:

"The suspect was described as an African-American male in his mid-30's, black hair, brown eyes, 6'00, 300 pounds. He has tattoos that include one on his neck that reads 'Lil Big Mo'; and a tribal band on his right bicep."

Know him? Call 877-710-5273.