Woman escapes attempted kidnapping outside Santa Ana workplace, police say

Santa Ana Police investigating attempted kidnapping

An Orange County woman says a man tried to grab her and force her into a van outside her Santa Ana workplace Tuesday morning, but she fought back and escaped.

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. - An Orange County woman says a man tried to grab her and put her in the back of a van outside of her workplace in Santa Ana on Tuesday morning.

Her brother, Harry, says she fought back and was able to escape.

"She called me just screaming on the phone, and I couldn't make out anything she was saying. I was asking, 'Where are you? What are you doing? What's wrong?' and the only words I could get out of her were, 'He grabbed me,'" said Harry.

Surveillance footage shows the woman running across the parking lot moments after the attempted abduction.

"She was just a mess. She was screaming, she was all scratched up. Her arm has probably doubled in size now. He must have really grabbed her hard," said Harry.

He said he believes the suspect knew her daily routine and had planned his attack.

"She's not doing great, as you can imagine. She's terrified. She's staying at home for a little while," said Harry.

The Santa Ana Police Department confirmed detectives are investigating this attempted kidnapping.

"As of right now, we think there's only one person that was involved," said Officer Natalie Garcia of the Santa Ana Police Department. "He got into a dark blue van with white lettering and just fled."

Anyone with information should contact the Santa Ana Police Department.