Man Accused Of Attempted Kidnapping Along Redwood Road
Sep 7, 2018, 8:18 PM
Police said a suspect randomly attacked a woman on Redwood Road and 900 South in Salt Lake City. They apparent attempted kidnapping was thwarted by witnesses.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A man was arrested in Salt Lake City after being accused of attempted kidnapping and assault. Police said it was the third time in the past month he has been arrested.
Officials with the Salt Lake City Police Department said 28-year-old Ousmane Camara attacked a woman as she walked along Redwood Road late Thursday night. They said she was walking along 900 South when he allegedly approached her from across the street.
Witnesses said he then started hitting her in the face, and then dragged her across the road to a parking lot.
Investigators said a group of people saw what was happening and intervened with what they believed was an attempted kidnapping. When officers arrived on the scene they arrested Camara.
“We don’t necessarily understand what the nature of this attack was, (or) why it occurred. It seems to be very random. This person was not known to our victim. (It was) a very scary situation,” said Salt Lake City Police Detective Greg Wilking.
Police said the woman had significant, although non-life threatening injuries.
Camara, police said, had already been arrested twice in the previous two to three weeks.
Multiple previous arrests besides attack, attempted kidnapping
According to a probable-cause statement from August 17, police said Camara approached a couple walking into a restaurant with their 1-year-old child. Police said he told the couple the child was his and tried to pull the child away from them. Police arrested him then for investigation of child kidnapping. A judge ordered Camara held without bail.
“The court finds that Ousmane Camara would constitute a substantial danger to other persons or to the community or is likely to flee the jurisdiction of the court if released on bail,” the document reads.
Camara was released, however, on August 21 because jail officials said they never received formal charging documents. Officials said they were generally required to release inmates after three days unless they have received those documents.
On August 21, the day Camara was released from jail, Salt Lake police submitted charging documents to the city prosecutor for a charge of disorderly conduct, saying the situation may not have risen to the level of an attempted kidnapping.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said his office never received a screening packet for the felony charge of child kidnapping.
Camara was arrested again on September 5. According to a probable-cause statement, police said they responded to a lewdness call and found Camara naked, hitting the ground with his pants.
Police said when they told him to stop, he went into a nearby abandoned building where he said he had slept.
Previous charges include drug possession, lewdness
They said they found a substance in his wallet that tested positive for methamphetamine. Police arrested him at that time for investigation of lewdness, criminal trespass, failure to stop at command of law enforcement officer, and controlled substance.
Because the charges were misdemeanors, he was released around 1 a.m. the next day due to overcrowding issues. Hours later, on the evening of September 6, police said Camara attacked the woman along Redwood Road.
