A day after home security video emerged of a woman’s terrified screams for help as a vehicle drove by in a Leimert Park neighborhood, police on Thursday said they need the public’s help in locating a possible kidnapping victim.
The Ring doorbell video was captured along Third Avenue around 11:10 p.m. Tuesday, about the time Los Angeles police say they responded to a report of a kidnapping on the street.
Investigators said they responded to the scene Tuesday but were unable to find evidence of a crime. The chilling video that that emerged Wednesday, however, prompted them to reopen the case.
The video doesn’t show a kidnapping, but a woman can be heard frantically pleading, “Help me, somebody help me,” as a sedan passes by.
Witnesses told detectives the car was possibly a white, four-door Toyota Prius with two people inside. It appeared a black woman or girl with dark, braided hair was in the front passenger seat, while the driver was described as a black man.
One witness saw the victim’s hair being pulled back while she screamed, and there was plastic wrap on the front passenger window as if the vehicle was recently involved in a collision, police said.
The driver was heard shouting, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” according to LAPD.
The car was last seen speeding south down Third Avenue.
LAPD on Wednesday said officers responded to the 3800 block of Third Avenue around 11 p.m. Tuesday, but the department’s Thursday news release stated witnesses on the 3000 block of Third Avenue observed the car around 11:20 p.m. Tuesday.
The Ring video is from a home on the 3800 block of Third Avenue with an 11:11 p.m. timestamp.
Anyone with information on the incident can contact detectives with LAPD’s Southwest Division at 213-485-6570, or call 877-527-3247 on weekends and after normal business hours. Anonymous tips may be submitted via lacrimestoppers.org or 800-222-8477.