Have you seen this guy? Man with foul body odor sought in attempted kidnapping

Authorities are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man with foul body odor who attempted to kidnap a woman at knifepoint as she placed items in her vehicle in a Norwalk neighborhood.

The 26-year-old woman was attacked from behind about 9:20 a.m. on Feb. 25 in the parking lot of her apartment complex in the 11200 block of Barnwall Street, said Det. Carlos Ortega of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“Just a normal woman getting ready for work in the morning,” he said. “It’s quite traumatizing for anybody.”

The suspect wrapped his arms around her torso and held a knife to her neck with his right hand as he tried to pull her into her vehicle, Ortega said.

But she fought back “and wasn’t going easy,” he said.

That’s when the man threw her to the ground and ran away, Ortega said.

Detectives got a description of the man and followed several leads, but they didn’t pan out, he said.

The woman described the man as Latino or white, in his 30s, about 5 feet 9 and 200 pounds. He had short brown hair, brown eyes and a foul body odor.

He also had a “poor quality tattoo of a bird,” on the outside of his right forearm, sheriff’s officials said.

Ortega has received information from other law enforcement agencies that are looking into similar incidents.

Anyone with information about the attempted kidnapping or similar incidents is asked to call Ortega at (562) 466-5427.

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