Nathaniel David Jessup, 28, charged after 2 girls grabbed near Stanley Park
'It makes you think it could happen anywhere,' parent of 1 alleged victim says
Vancouver police have charged a man with two counts of assault and one count of forcible confinement in connection with two child abduction attempts in Vancouver's West End.
Nathaniel David Jessup, 28, has a long criminal record dating back a decade in the B.C. communities of Cranbrook, Creston, Kamloops and elsewhere.
He has previously been charged with assaulting a peace officer, trespassing, breaking and entering, possession of stolen property and possession of a firearm among other charges.
Police said a man grabbed a two-year-old girl Monday while she was with her family near Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park. When the girl's father confronted the man, he released her and ran off.
Three days before that attack, an eight-year-old girl was grabbed and dragged away from her family at the north end of Denman Street, near the entrance to Stanley Park. The man ran away when he was confronted by the girl's parents. Police said the girl was upset, but not physically hurt.
In both cases police searched Stanley Park with the aid of park rangers.
On Monday, a man with no fixed address was taken into custody in the 1800 block of Alberni Street.
Vancouver police spokesman Const. Brian Montague called the abduction attempts "very brazen."
The parents of the first victim said the incident has left them shaken.
"It's broad daylight, at the end of Denman Street," said Nadine Wicks. "It makes you think it would happen anywhere and it reminds you to have a talk about safety and where everyone is at all times."