Would-be kidnapper tried to abduct 3 University of Arizona students

October 2024 · 2 minute read

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Police are on the hunt for a would-be kidnapper who has been terrorizing the University of Arizona and sexually assaulted at least one of the students he tried to abduct.

The creep — dubbed the Tucson Taker by students — targeted three different students at separate locations near the city’s campus in just one week, according to the University of Arizona Police Department.

Each time, the assailant was thwarted before he could successfully drag them into his unique purple car.

The suspect last struck around 6 p.m. Monday as his female victim was walking near the southern portion of campus.

He grabbed her around the waist with one arm and used his other hand to grope her. He fled after she screamed, the school said.

Police realized they were dealing with a repeat offender after matching the suspect’s description to a similar attacker who targeted another female student just four days earlier.

The female student was walking just after 8 p.m. when she noticed she was being followed by a dented-up purple hatchback with tinted windows.

The stranger jumped out of the car and grabbed the woman, who was able to fend off her attacker by dropping to the ground and screaming. He ran back to his car and fled.

After hearing the news of the two earlier assaults, the first victim came forward to report being followed by the car around 11 a.m. on Dec. 6, but was fortunately not attacked.

The suspect is still on the lam, and his identity remains a mystery, police said.

He was described as a possible Hispanic male with a dark complexion with a medium to heavyset build. He stands between 5-feet-10-inches and 6-feet tall, and has short, buzzed hair.

The attempted abductor could be middle-aged, but police are “not entirely sure with the descriptions we have,” Tucson Police Assistant Chief Chris Dennison said at a press conference.

Students have taken to calling the mysterious creep the Tucson Taker on social media.

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