(June 11, 2003) -- Two girls, ages 7 and 11, showed good judgment when a man allegedly made lewd, sexual comments to them as they walked in the 1000 block of Alamitos Ave. on June 9.
The girls kept walking, even as he made more lewd comments.
And despite the crude encounter, the children showed presence of mind: they noted the man's license plate number.
And they reported what happened to LBPD...which took the report seriously.
LBPD Public Information Officer Sgt. Paul LeBaron told LBReport.com that almost exactly 24 hours to the minute from the time the report was taken, LBPD arrested a suspect.
Sgt. LeBaron credited LBPD Patrol Officers Sawai and Steinhauser for their successful work in handling this case.
Using the license plate info provided by the two girls, the suspect was located, arrested and charged with annoying a child. Sgt. LeBaron says the suspect also has a previous conviction for arson.
"These young girls deserve credit for walking away and having the presence of mind to write down the suspect's license plate number which helped us make the arrest," Sgt. LeBaron said.
He added, "It's obvious these girls were taught well by their parents. They showed the importance of knowing what to do and relying on police to deal with issues such as this."