Anaheim man arrested for attempted kidnapping of 13-year-old girl
ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Orange County Sheriff's Department has arrested an Anaheim man for allegedly attempting to kidnap a teenage girl last month.
Andrew Pio, 31, of Anaheim was arrested Saturday on suspicion of attempted kidnapping.
Back on March 31 at about 2:45 p.m., the Anaheim Police Department received several calls regarding a man who attempted to force a 13-year-old girl into a pickup truck near Magnolia High School in the 2600 block of West Ball Road.
The victim was identified as a student at Dale Jr. High School who was walking home. The girl saw the suspect sitting in a parked truck. He then got out of the vehicle, approached her, and shoved her into the passenger side of the truck.
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Several people in the area who witnessed the terrifying encounter contacted authorities. A short time later, the suspect released the victim and drove away. The suspect's vehicle was described as a white pickup truck with a gray tool rack in the bed of the truck.
About a week after the incident, on April 8, police saw a man driving a pickup truck matching the suspect vehicle description in the city of Brea. When officers tried to pull the man over, a police chase ensued.
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The chase lasted almost an hour, with the suspect traveling along the 57 and 5 freeways. The chase eventually ended on the 5 Freeway near the La Paz Road offramp.
Pio was arrested at the end of a pursuit. Following an investigation it was determined that Pio was in fact suspected of the March 31 kidnapping. Pio is currently being held at the City of Anaheim Jail on $600,000 bail.
The teen victim was not hurt in the Mar. 31 incident.
Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call Anaheim PD Detective Jacob Medina at 714-765-1419 or OC Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS.
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