Seaside Police: Good Samaritan prevents attempted kidnapping

Seaside Police said a Good Samaritan prevented a suspect from abducting a child from inside a restaurant on Friday.

“My reaction was just to go at him. You can’t walk out with the kid, no way,” said Pete Vasquez, the man police are calling a hero.

According to police, it happened around 1:45 p.m. at Church’s Chicken on Freemont Boulevard.

A witness said the suspect, Salvador Perez, first approached a 3-year-old girl in an aggressive manner but her parents were able to grab her out of his way.

Perez then attempted to drag a 10-year-old boy out of the restaurant, who was with his aunt at the register, according to police.

It was then VasqueztheGood Samaritan, saw what Perez was trying to do and tackled him down.

“I went for his neck. We struggled for awhile. He knocked me down, I knocked him down and then he took off,” said Vasquez.

Officersgot there shortly after and thanks to a good witness description, officers were able to arrest Perez on the 400 block of Elm Avenue.

“We’re still looking at the motive of why this took place. It does not appear that there’s any relationship between the children and the male that we arrested,” said Seaside police Sgt. Nick Borges.

Perez was booked into the Monterey County Jail and is being charged with felony attempted kidnapping.

“The parents and the children were very shaken upafter this ordeal. It was an emotional day for them,” said Sgt. Borges.

Still, investigators said thanks to Vasquez none of the kids were taken or harmed.

“I would think that everybody would do the same thing. I would hope, I have grandkids. I’m just glad I was there,” said Vasquez.