Witnesses to attempted kidnapping in Spanaway helped teens escape, deputies say
A couple driving Sunday evening on Mountain Highway in Spanaway intervened after spotting three teenage girls being chased by a man allegedly trying to abduct them, Pierce County deputies said.
The man was arrested after the couple called 911 while helping the girls escape him, sheriff’s Sgt. Darren Moss said. He said the man was booked into jail for investigation of three counts of kidnapping, fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation and promoting sexual abuse of a minor.
The three teenagers were walking to a 7-Eleven around 5 p.m. near the intersection of Mountain Highway East and Field Road East when the man walked up behind them and started making sexual remarks, Moss said. He said one of the teenagers told deputies the man said he “wanted to pimp them out.”
The teenagers tried to get away from the man, but he continued to follow, Moss said. At one point, the man kicked one of the teenagers from behind. He said the girls started flagging down cars, and a witness told deputies one of the girls threw shoes at oncoming traffic to try to get someone’s attention.
That’s when Kiaya Van Scoyoc and her fiance, Keano Riggs, spotted the girls.
The couple spoke to KIRO 7 News about the incident. Van Scoyoc and Riggs were driving to dinner when they saw the man chasing the girls, according to the news station. They stopped to ask if the girls were OK.
“I said, ‘Are you OK?’, and she looked at me and was like, ‘No, he’s chasing me!’” Van Scoyoc told KIRO 7 News.
The couple let the teenagers climb into their car to drive away, but slow traffic allowed the man to catch up with them. Moss said the man told the witnesses he needed one of the girls.
Then, the witness sitting in the passenger seat got out of the car and punched the man in the face, Moss said. He said the man was knocked to the ground, and the car full of witnesses and teenagers pulled away from the scene.
Deputies arrived about 5:10 p.m, Moss said. He said deputies talked to the suspect at a convenience store nearby and arrested him.
This story was originally published September 7, 2021 at 2:43 PM.
