Man kissed 3-year-old at train station before threatening mother with handsaw: police

A 35-year-old man has been charged with attempted kidnapping after he kissed a 3-year-old in a stroller at a train station before threatening the child’s mother with a hacksaw.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the suspect, later identified as Noel Gallegos, approached a mother and her 3-year-old daughter in a stroller at a train station near Gateway Plaza in downtown Los Angeles on Aug. 26.

“The suspect placed his finger on the daughter’s chest and kissed her on her forehead before reaching into her stroller,” LAPD stated.  “Once the suspect grabbed the harness of the stroller, the mother pushed the suspect away…[he] threatened to kill her as he removed a handsaw from his backpack before fleeing.”

Investigators eventually identified Gallegos as the suspect the following week, LAPD said; however, on Sept. 12, detectives discovered he was already in custody for an unrelated matter.

Inmate search records indicate he had been arrested on Sept. 5 in Alhambra.

For the Aug. 26 incident, Gallegos was charged with one count of attempted kidnapping and two counts of criminal threats.

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