Full Notification

This morning, detectives from Lomita Sheriff’s Station presented the case of the attempted kidnapping of a Rancho Palos Verdes middle school student to the District Attorney’s Office at Torrance Court.  Garrett Webber, 54, of Rancho Palos Verdes, was detained by deputies in the 28100 block of Peacock Ridge Drive shortly after the 7:30 am incident on Monday.

According to witnesses, Webber allegedly exited his pickup truck in the 28700 block of Highridge Road and confronted a female juvenile who was walking to school.  Webber grabbed the student in an apparent attempt to force her into his truck.  He was holding a handgun at the time of the attempted abduction.  When the victim screamed, nearby witnesses came to the aid of the victim and Webber fled the location, but not before witnesses obtained his license plate number.  Webber was contacted at his nearby apartment and detained.  As a precaution, nearby Ridgecrest Intermediate School was placed on temporary lockdown.

During the subsequent investigation, detectives serving a search warrant recovered several firearms, along with other evidence, from Webber’s apartment.  During questioning, Webber claimed someone threw an object at his truck, so he confronted a girl walking nearby.  His statements, however, were not corroborated by witnesses or evidence at the scene.

Charges of Attempted Kidnapping and Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Firearm, were filed by the District Attorney’s Office.  Webber is being held in lieu of $500,000.00 bail, and is scheduled to be arraigned today at Torrance Court.

While Webber’s motive remains unclear, this appears to be an isolated incident.  There is no known link between Webber and the victim.  Detectives continue to probe Webber’s background, seeking answers for what triggered his behavior. 

Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Detective Joe Vazquez at (310) 891- 3245.  If you prefer to remain anonymous, you may call “L.A. Crime Stoppers” at 800-222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 MOBILE APP” on Google play or the App Store, or use the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.
 
Lomita Sheriff’s Station provides law enforcement services to the cities of Lomita, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, and unincorporated communities in San Pedro and the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

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Prepared by:
Captain Dan Beringer
Lomita Sheriff’s Station
26123 South Narbonne Avenue
Lomita, CA  90717
310-639-1661
www.lomita.lasd.org