ATTEMPTED CHILD ABDUCTION

* STUDENT SAFETY ALERT Dec. 16, 2013

John E. Deasy, Ph.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Tommy Chang

Instructional Area Superintendent, ISIC

Julie Iwamoto

Interim Principal

Sonia Sotomayor Learning Academies

2050 N. San Fernando Road

Los Angeles, Ca 90065

323/276-5515

STUDENT SAFETY ALERT

 On Friday, December 13, 2013 at approximately 3:30 p.m. an incident occurred in which a female SoHDA student was approached by two males in a dark blue van. The male on the passenger side got out of the car, began yelling something to the student in Spanish and attempted to grab her. No bodily contact was made and the student ran away. The male is described as a 40 – 45 year old Hispanic with black and grey hair, unshaven, wearing a paint splattered shirt, khaki pants and working boots. The driver is described as a male Hispanic with a black mustache. The van had only windows in the front, no side or rear windows and did not have license plates at either end. The men were drinking (driver was holding a can of beer).    

The incident occurred at Eagle Rock Blvd and Andrita Street. The student immediately phoned her mother, who picked her up took her home. Student called school police and went with her mother to file a report with the Northeast Division of the LAPD. 

Your child’s safety and education is our No. 1 priority. We will continue to work with school staff, parents and the community-at-large to ensure that our students remain safe in a secure and nurturing environment. If you have any questions, please call us at (323) 276 5500.

Students are generally advised to be on the alert when walking to and from school and to report suspicious activity immediately. Precautions should be taken when traveling to and from school such as:

• Walk in groups or pairs and be alert to your surroundings.
• Do not openly display popular electronic devices such as iPhones.
• Do not approach suspicious vehicles.
• Do not talk to or accept rides from strangers.   
• Report problems to the nearest school staff member or known adult at once, and to police as soon as possible.

Emergency: 911                                  

LASPD: (213) 625-6631

LAPD: Northeast 213-485-2549                                                                                            

Sincerely,

Julie Iwamoto, Interim Principal