June 21, 2024 – San Diego Police Department officials report that San Diego Police arrested a man on Thursday for attempting to kidnap a 6-year-old girl at the Mission Valley Mall on Tuesday. Using various investigative leads, SDPD was able to successfully take 42-year-old Rene Lujan of San Diego into custody after the department’s Automated License Plate Reader system aided officers in locating the suspect’s vehicle used in relation to the attempted kidnapping.

At about 1:30 p.m. on June 18, a mother was walking next to her daughter, who was pushing her younger sibling in a stroller on the east side of the mall. A man walked past the family and began to follow them before grabbing the 6-year-old girl and lifting her off the ground. The man walked a couple of feet in the opposite direction while carrying the girl until she began screaming and he released her.

The suspect, now identified as Lujan, fled on foot westbound through the mall. SDPD’s Eastern Division responded to the scene, and during the investigation, were able to gain a description and license plate of the car the suspect used to flee from the scene.

The license plate was entered into the department’s License Plate Reader (LPR) database. The listed vehicle alerted officers Thursday afternoon that the vehicle had passed under an LPR reader in Downtown San Diego, prompting an immediate attempt to find and stop the car in that area (see LPR photo below). Lujan and his vehicle were located and stopped on State Route 94 near Home Ave., and he was taken into custody.

A second attempted kidnapping of a 5-year-old girl with very similar circumstances and suspect description also occurred at Mission Valley Mall just after 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. SDPD is actively working that case to determine if it is tied to the first.

Anyone with further information about the crimes or person involved should contact the SDPD’s Eastern Division at (858) 495-7900 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

Source & photo: San Diego Police Department