Denis Villalobos allegedly tried to kidnap a child from a Walmart in Cornelius, Oregon (Washington County Sheriff's Office).
A father in Oregon rushed into action after a man tried to kidnap his child from a stroller while they shopped at Walmart a few days before Christmas, authorities say.
The incident occurred shortly before 8 p.m. on Dec. 21 at a Walmart in Cornelius, which is about 25 miles west of Portland, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Several deputies responded to the store, located at 220 N. Adair Street, for an attempted kidnapping after a man tried to take a child from the stroller. The child's father was able to stop the man from grabbing the child and began to wrestle with the would-be kidnapper, cops said.
Deputies say the suspect pulled out a knife during the struggle but dropped it before he ran away and drove off in a white Jeep. The father suffered minor injuries.
Witnesses wrote down the license plate and cops found the vehicle a short distance away. The vehicle's owner, 37-year-old Denis Villalobos, was identified as the alleged suspect and deputies took him into custody.
A grand jury indicted Villalobos on charges of attempted kidnapping, assault, unlawful use of a weapon and menacing. Surveillance cameras captured the incident and the moments leading up to it.
"He looks like he's staring at the child as the family walks by. And they don't even know who he is," Washington County Sheriff's Cpl. David Huey told local CBS affiliate KOIN. "It's almost as if the suspect was stalking them in a sense."
KOIN interviewed the child's mother.
"It's kind of scary," she said. "Especially the fact that he lives around this neighborhood. It's actually nice to live in a small community where we have the police department around the area doing their job and very close by. So we're, we're very thankful for that."
Villalobos remains at the Washington County Jail. He is slated to appear before a judge on Monday.
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