RENTON, Wash. — A Renton man is under investigation for attempted kidnapping after police say he groped and threatened two women at the Landing.
Surveillance video captured a man entering Target on June 23. According to Renton Police, the 30-year-old suspect approached a customer in an aisle.
Claudia Judson said the encounter began with the man asking her a question. The situation quickly escalated.
"He came up to me and said, I have a gun and I will shoot you," Judson said.
The suspect was only pretending to have a weapon, police said. According to Judson, the suspect continued to grab her.
"He grabbed me by the wrist and I pulled up and he said it again to my face, he said 'I've got a gun and I will shoot you,'" Judson said. "I just told him, 'go ahead.' That's when he looked at me and he told me to lay down and I just jerked my hand away and started backing up."
Target security was not able to apprehend the suspect who was seen on surveillance camera taking off his hoodie before walking next door to Frye's Electronics.
According to investigators, he approached an employee with a similar threat to what Judson experienced. The suspect told the employee that he had a gun and that he would kill her if she didn't comply with his demands. Reports show he forced her inside the men's bathroom. A customer who was in the restroom did not help, according to police.
The woman feared she was going to be raped. However, detectives say she was able to kick him in the groin and then she escaped.
The man, who was intoxicated, was arrested by Renton Police and is now facing two charges for attempted kidnapping.
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