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Man arrested in Salt Lake after girl, 13, reports kidnapping attempt

Police arrested a 32-year-old man in connection with an alleged attempted kidnapping of a 13-year-old girl at a shopping center in Salt Lake.

The victim is a student at Aliamanu Middle School which is located across the street from the Salt Lake Shopping Center at 848 Ala Lilikoi St.

The student was inside one of the businesses at the shopping center sometime after 7 a.m. Wednesday when the suspect approached her and attempted to start a conversation with her, according to a letter sent Wednesday to parents and guardians by Aliamanu Middle Principal Albert Hetrick to inform them of the incident.

The suspect then allegedly attempted to grab the girl’s hand. She broke free, ran across the street to school and reported the incident to school administrators.

Police were called. Officers and school staff went to the shopping center where they located the suspect in the shopping center parking lot.

Police arrested him on suspicion of kidnapping. He was released after the victim’s family, who plans to soon relocate to the mainland, declined to press charges.