Charges: Maplewood man tried to kidnap 2 St. Paul kids
Jul. 13—A Maplewood man was charged Monday with four counts of attempted kidnapping after authorities say he tried to grab two children in St. Paul's North End neighborhood.
According to the criminal complaint, Sun Oo, 31, was taken into custody Friday. He is being held at the Ramsey County Jail. He is charged with two counts of attempted kidnapping with intent to take the children away and two counts of attempted kidnapping to commit great bodily harm or terrorize.
St. Paul police responded to a 911 call on Agate Street about 3:20 p.m. The woman at the address told police a man had tried to kidnap her niece, the complaint said.
Throughout the investigation, police learned that Oo had approached three children, ages 6, 9 and 11 who were playing outside. He tried to grab the 9-year-old boy who got away and then went after the two girls, according to the criminal complaint.
The mother of the 6-year-old girl said that she was inside her home and heard screaming. She saw that her 11-year-old niece was being held at the doorway of the home by an unknown man who was trying to pull her back outside.
She yelled at the man, who released the girl and ran off. The mother followed him to a wooded area behind the house, but lost sight of him.
The two girls told police they were playing in the yard with the 9-year-old neighbor boy when Oo, described as a thin Asian male wearing green camo shorts, approached and asked for a cigarette. The children tried to talk to him, but he was acting strangely, patting his groin.
Suddenly, Oo reached out and grabbed the boy by the shirt and the arm, according to the complaint. The boy struggled and got away, and all three ran with the man chasing them.
At the door of the house, the man grabbed the 11-year-old and struggled with her until her aunt chased him away.
Police searched for the man, but did not find him.
About two hours later, the aunt called police to say she had just seen the man enter a home on Buffalo Street, one street over. She explained that she had heard him in the brush behind her house and had confronted him, trying to grab him. He escaped from her grasp, but left his wallet and ID behind.
Officers went to the home on Buffalo and arrested him without incident. In a search of the home, officers found a pair of green camouflage shorts.
Back at the police station, investigators said Oo exhibited bizarre and aggressive behavior which prevented him from being interviewed, according to the complaint. No attorney was listed for Oo.
Oo faces a pending charge for allegedly choking his 17-year-old sister July 11 until she said she thought she was going to die, the complaint states. He also faces a pending civil commitment case for mental illness and chemical dependency.
