A super obese gang member could have gotten away with his alleged plot to kidnap a 10-year-old boy, but he was too heavy to make good his escape over a backyard fence.
55-year-old, 425 pound, California man Victor Joseph Espinoza is being held on charges of false imprisonment, child annoyance, and gang enhancements.
Santa Ana police say the unidentified would-be victim was walking to soccer practice with his 19-year-old cousin when they came across Espinoza.
Espinoza lured the boy over and snatched him up against the gang member's considerable torso. The child began screaming for help, but Espinoza refused to let him go.
'He was grabbed by the suspect by both arms and he pulls him into his body area,' Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna told reporters. 'We believe that he was going to take the kid away.'
Luckily the boy was able to break free and run to a nearby park where he and his cousin told the soccer coach what happened.
The coach tracked down Espinoza and a chase ensued. Espinoza attempted to run, but was tackled to the ground by the coach before escaping and lumbering away.
A police helicopter spotted him trying to hide in a residential backyard. Espinoza again attempted to flee over the yard's fence, but was unable to haul his ample body across.
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TXT 24
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