3-Year-Old Boy Kidnapped In Home Invasion

Los Angeles police said a 3-year-old boy who was taken during a Wednesday morning home invasion in Van Nuys was found safe later the same day, and a suspect was arrested in central California. Officers responded at about 8:12 a.m. on August 5 to the 7600 block of Van Nuys Boulevard, near Saticoy Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department and local television reports. Police initially described the case as a kidnapping during a home invasion. By Wednesday afternoon, authorities said the child had been located and the suspect was in custody. ### Where did police say the abduction happened? Van Nuys Boulevard near Saticoy Street was the location police gave for the initial call. KTLA reported officers were sent to the 7600 block of Van Nuys Boulevard shortly after 8 a.m., and ABC7 said the incident was reported around 8:13 a.m. Wednesday. (ktla.com) NBC Los Angeles reported police said a man took the child and drove away westbound on Keswick Street after the home invasion. That outlet said the case was being investigated as a custody dispute. ### Who did police say was arrested? The suspect was identified by NBC Los Angeles as the child’s father. CBS Los Angeles reported a man accused of kidnapping the boy was arrested in central California hours after the incident began. (ktla.com) ABC7 reported the man had not been publicly identified in its initial account, but said he was taken into custody Wednesday and was being transported back to Los Angeles along with the child. (nbclosangeles.com) FOX 11 also reported the suspect had been arrested after the child was found safe. (cbsnews.com) ### How did the case change over the course of Wednesday? Wednesday morning reports described an active child-abduction search after the home invasion call in Van Nuys. KTLA said police were looking for the boy after the incident was first reported. By later Wednesday, multiple Los Angeles television outlets reported the child had been found safe. (abc7.com) NBC Los Angeles said the boy was located in Northern California, while CBS Los Angeles said the arrest was made in central California. ABC7 reported both the child and the suspect were en route back to Los Angeles by Wednesday afternoon. (ktla.com) ### What have authorities said publicly about the motive? NBC Los Angeles reported police described the case as a custody dispute. That characterization was also reflected in the station’s later video report, which said the abduction involved the child’s father. Los Angeles police had not publicly released fuller details in the reports reviewed, including whether charges had been filed, whether anyone inside the home was injured, or what led investigators to locate the suspect in central California. (cbsnews.com) CBS and ABC7 both said the investigation remained ongoing. ### What is expected next in the investigation? (nbclosangeles.com) Wednesday’s next steps were the suspect’s return to Los Angeles and the child’s reunification with his mother, according to NBC Los Angeles and ABC7. Police had not, in the reports reviewed, announced a court date or released the suspect’s name. (cbsnews.com) The Los Angeles Police Department was expected to provide any additional details through its continuing investigation. As of the Wednesday evening reports, the central facts were that the child had been recovered safely and a suspect had been arrested. (ktla.com) (abc7.com)