Three teen girls fight off, outrun unknown abductor

An Alexandria man Prince William County police can identify only as “Hector,” is the chief suspect in the attempted abduction of three girls in the Dumfries Shopping Plaza, according to an affidavit for a search warrant filed in Prince William County Circuit Court on Monday.

The attempted kidnappings happened Sunday at 5:55 p.m.

The girls, 16, 13 and 11, were walking through a breezeway in the plaza toward their nearby homes, when the man grabbed the 16-year-old. He let her go, and then grabbed onto the 11-year-old.

Both girls screamed as they were being attacked.

The 11-year-old was able to wrestle herself free, and the three girls ran away together, with the man chasing closely behind them. He was not able to catch them, and gave up.

The 16-year-old, along with her father, and the other two girls, went back to the plaza looking for the man, the affidavit states.

The 11-year-old girl spotted the man sitting in the front passenger seat of a red, 1988 Chevrolet S-10 pickup.

He ran off before Prince William and Dumfries police officers arrived.

The driver of the truck told police that the suspect was indeed in his car, and had just bought a bottle of beer from a nearby 7-Eleven.

The driver identified the man as Hector, and told police he was from Alexandria. The driver, who is only an acquaintance, did not know Hector’s last name, and said he was going to give him a ride back to Alexandria.

He did not know what happened to the girls, and was not involved at all, police said.

Police were looking to search the truck Sunday for “any documents and items that belong [to] or have been handled by the suspect to include a recently purchased bottle of beer, the collection of fingerprints and physical evidence associated with the suspect,” the affidavit states. “The identity of the suspect is unknown at this time.”

Hector is Hispanic, between 38 and 42, about 6 feet 1 inch tall, Detective Dennis Mangan, Prince William police spokesman said. He weighs about 195 pounds, and wore blue jeans.

Police expect to find out more about Hector’s true identity soon, Mangan said.

Staff writer Daniel Drew can be reached at (703) 878-8065.