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Suspect Sketch Released In Monrovia Attempted Abduction

MONROVIA (CBS) — Authorities Saturday released a sketch of a suspect in an attempted kidnapping of a 6-year-old boy in Monrovia.

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KNX 1070's Ed Mertz Reports

"Somebody came onto our property, into the backyard and grabbed our son... put their hand over his mouth, picked him up, kind of like a football," Dominic Barrera, the child's father, told CBS2's Juan Fernandez.

Attempted Abductor Monrovia
(credit: LASD)

The child was tending to chores in the backyard of his home in the 2500 block of Graydon Avenue about 4 p.m. Friday when a man came through a side gate, grabbed him and walked away.

"This just doesn't happen. Kids disappear, they don't come back," said the child's mom, Ashley Barrera.

The suspect didn't get far, however, because the child reportedly fought the suspect the entire time -- a lesson he learned from his mother.

"You fight for your life. I told him 'You bite. You kick. You scream. You yell. You draw blood.' I said, 'because someone takes you, they're not doing anything nice. they're gonna hurt you.'

"I put a little fear in him and sometimes I think that maybe I was doing the wrong thing but it helped him today," Mrs. Barrera added.

Authorities have a vague description of the suspect, who may be either African American or Latino. He is believed to be between 18 to 40 years old and was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and jeans.

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» Boy, 6, Fights Off Attempted Kidnapping In Monrovia

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