Tobey Shahian, 15, says she is careful to look around when she walks home from school every day near Zelzah and Magnolia.
"I'm always looking around just in case," said Shahian. "I feel weird when someone is staring at me and I try to get close to an apartment or something."
But Shahian will now pay even closer attention after a man allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl in that same Encino neighborhood. Los Angeles Police Department-West Valley detectives say the suspect jumped out of his parked car and grabbed the unidentified teenager as she walked by.
"The young lady screamed, pushed the suspect away and was able to get away," said LAPD Sgt. Rudy Lopez. "With the yelling and screaming that took place, the suspect was scared off, jumped into his car and drove off."
The suspect is identified as a male Hispanic, 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing about 200 pounds, about 30 to 40 years old. He is bald with no facial hair.
Police are hoping to catch him before he strikes again.
"It's unbelievable. There's a lot of witnesses. There's a lot of people walking around here, so I don't know, you've got to be careful," said Carl Washington, a concerned neighborhood resident. "If she's a little girl too, parents should always be walking with the child."
The suspect's vehicle was described as a white 4-door 1995 to 2005 GMC Yukon SUV with a possible partial license number of "4Y." The vehicle had a broken right taillight.
Police are asking for the public's help. If you have information about the suspect, you're asked to call (877) LAPD-24-7 (877-527-4327).
