Ape-man in a gorilla suit tries to abduct 5 y/o boy

Man in Gorilla Suit Grabs 5-Year-Old, Runs Through Supermarket

LAKEWOOD, WA -- Police in Washington state are asking for the public's help in tracking down a man who dressed in a gorilla suit and terrorized a child, and his parents, when he grabbed the five year old and ran through a supermarket.

The child's family chased the man down and he was detained by security. But it's what happened next that has the family even more upset.

On August 2nd at the B and I Market Place, a man dressed in a gorilla suit abducted a 5-year-old child and tried to race out of the store with him.

Anthony and April Santiago desperately chased and then caught the man who grabbed their son Noah. The man was detained by store security who called Lakewood Police. But security officers and the family said that after some questioning, the police let the man go.

They had pictures of the guy -- in the costume and out of the costume. Security saw the guy take the mask off. There was no denying he was who he was and they let him go. Lakewood Police did not return our calls to KING-TV.

However, Crimestoppers did release a picture of the suspect. The Santiagos are relieved that they got their son back, but they fear what this man could do next. The suspect is a 17-year-old African American male 5'11 weighing 200 pounds.

The Santiagos are so upset by the incident they are considering legal action against the Lakewood Police Department.

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Police are asking for the public's help in tracking down the man.

The boy's parents said they are enraged by the way police handled the case at the B & I Marketplace on Aug. 2, when a man snatched the boy and fled.

Anthony and April Santiago heard their son screaming and chased down the man and held him for police.

When Lakewood police officers arrived, the man said it was a joke. Police accepted the man's explanation that it was a prank and they let him go.

"I'm absolutely irate, and I am just as irate at the police for not doing their job as I am at the person that committed this crime," said April Santiago, the boy's mother.

But the Santiagos don't think it was a joke and are still upset.

"The mistake that they (the officers) did make was to not get hard identification," said Lakewood Police Lt. Dave Guttu. "They didn't verify his identification."

The officers never wrote a report or checked the false name the man gave, the boy's parents said.

On Thursday, Lakewood police released a photo of the suspect in the hopes of finding him. They said that the photo was taken at some point by a security officer at the store.

Crimestoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the man and filing of charges. The phone number is 253-591 5959.

The store where it happened had previously kept a gorilla named Ivan as an attraction for customers for 27 years. Ivan was sent to the Atlanta Zoo in 1994.

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