LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A woman was in custody today for allegedly trying to kidnap two 4-year-old boys in separate incidents in the South Los Angeles and downtown Los Angeles areas this week, police said.
Maralyn Ramos, 33, was taken into custody about 10:45 p.m. Wednesday at Agatha and San Pedro streets in the downtown Los Angeles area, and she was booked on suspicion of kidnapping, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. She was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.
About 11:15 a.m. Wednesday in South Los Angeles, the suspect approached a boy who was walking alongside a family member on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near San Pedro Street and attempted to walk away with him before being stopped by a witness, according to the LAPD. The woman then fled on foot.
Around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, the same woman is suspected of carrying a 4- year-old boy out of a McDonald's restaurant at 1310 E. Olympic Blvd. in Downtown Los Angeles, according to the LAPD.
“The suspect attempted to enter a parked vehicle with the victim but was stopped by a witness,” police said. The woman fled on foot, the LAPD reported. Tuesday's kidnap attempt was recorded on the fast food restaurant's surveillance system, and police released the video in the hope that someone would recognize the woman and help detectives locate her.
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call 213-486-6840 to speak with Detective Arroyo or Detective Moreno; 877-LAPD-247; or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS or at lacrimestoppers.org.