GLENDALE, Ariz. (Scripps News Phoenix) — Glendale police say a man is in custody after an attempted kidnapping of a girl last week.
The incident happened on Wednesday, March 6.
Police have arrested a man who they say tried to kidnap a teenage girl in Arizona. (Glendale Police via Scripps News Phoenix)
Glendale police officials say a 14-year-old girl was walking home from school around 1:30 p.m. when she noticed a light-colored vehicle following her.
The girl saw a man get out of the passenger side and start to follow her on foot while someone else was driving the vehicle. The girl, sensing danger, ran to a nearby neighborhood and found an adult who was walking their dog. That adult walked with the girl to her home where her family called the police.
After police reviewed surveillance video and traffic cameras of the area, they were able to identify the vehicle, its registered owner and eventually the suspect.
The following day, police arrested 28-year-old Timothy Tam Guan. He has been booked into jail and is facing charges of attempted kidnapping, aggravated assault, and unlawful imprisonment.
Police also questioned a woman who they believe was the driver. It’s unclear if she was arrested or is facing any charges.
Detectives say Guan has a criminal history involving other juveniles, but said they could not elaborate on cases involving other police agencies.
According to court paperwork, Guan is currently on probation for three aggravated assaults on underaged persons, mostly girls, since 2021.
ABC15 has reported on two different incidents involving Guan. One was for causing damage to the Glendale airport and the second was for causing damage to about two dozen vehicles at a Goodyear hospital. Both incidents happened in 2019.
At the end of January, Glendale police arrested another man accused of attempting to kidnap an 11-year-old girl. That incident was also captured on video.
This story was originally published by Scripps News Phoenix, an E.W. Scripps Company.
