Return to Transcripts main page
Breaking News
In Southern California, Two Teenaged Girls Abducted
Aired August 01, 2002 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with breaking news out of Southern California, and that is the apparent abduction of two teenage girls, who were parked in cars with their boyfriends at the time early this morning in Lancaster. I want to get the latest on this and the search for those two girls who are still missing and bring in Deputy Sheriff Sonia Parra. He is with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.
SONIA PARRA, L.A. POLICE: Good morning.
KAGAN: What can you tell us about what happened early this morning with these two girls and the apparent gunman.
PARRA: What we know is that at approximately 1:00 in the morning, a lone, male suspect, possibly of Hispanic descent, based on the reported accent, avenue at M and 47th Street West in a vehicle which had been reported taken in a carjacking in Nevada. He approached the parked vehicle by a victim and her male companion. The suspect forced them both out of the vehicle at gunpoint. The suspect then approached a second vehicle occupied by victims Marris and her male companion. He also forced this couple from their vehicle at gun point.
The suspect tied up at least one of the males before kidnapping the victim and fleeing the location in a 1980 white and brown Ford Bronco with a gray shell, California license, 1AIZ962, which he stole from victim Brown. The females are described as Brooks, Tamera Brooks, a female black, 16 years old, with black hair, brown eyes, 5'5 and 120 pounds. She was last seen wearing red shorts, black shirt and tan sandals. The second victim, Jacqueline Marris, a female white, 17 years old, with jet black hair, brown eyes, 5'4, 120 pounds, last seen wearing black shorts, blue pants and sandals. The victims that were left tied were found by a maintenance worker from the water district.
KAGAN: Deputy Parra, because we are talking to a nationwide audience, I'm asking some questions that might seem basic to the Los Angeles audience, but when we're talk about this Lancaster area, can you describe exactly where this abduction took place, let's say, in relation to downtown Los Angeles.
PARRA: This is an unincorporated area of the Los Angeles County. It is in the valley area, approximately 30 miles from the Los Angeles, and it is adjacent to a major area called Lancaster.
KAGAN: And is there any indication these two cars were related, or does it appear that they were just picked at random?
PARRA: It appears they were just parked there, which is a very popular spot for teenagers.
KAGAN: To go hang out, and -- we have all kind of been there before doing that teenage hangout thing.
PARRA: Yes, it's a teenage hangout thing.
KAGAN: Considered safe usually to be there?
PARRA: Yes. Yes. And it's pretty popular among teenagers. And so we have never had problems up there.
KAGAN: It seems strange to me one man would be able to overpower two couples at the same time. Is that because he did it one at a time?
PARRA: Yes, he did them one at a time, and at gunpoint. So possibly, the teens, the young men and women, fearing for their lives, went ahead and complied with the request. Now, I didn't tell thought male, the person that perpetrated these crimes is described as a male Hispanic between 30 and 40 years old. That's all we know at this time. But he is a male Hispanic.
KAGAN: Is there any indication about which direction he might have headed in?
PARRA: No, he just fled out of the area in an unknown direction, obviously coming down from that area.
KAGAN: And when you talk to other teenagers hanging out there at the time, did you say they saw signs of trouble?
PARRA: We haven't spoken to anyone at this time, and the investigation is ongoing. The only witness that has been spoken to is the victim that was left tied...
KAGAN: The two boys, or the two young men that were left behind.
PARRA: Correct. Correct.
KAGAN: So what we know is you are looking for this man described as Hispanic or Latino, 30 to 40 years old. Do you think he is still in this car that was carjacked from the Las Vegas area?
PARRA: No, no. He took the Ford Bronco, belonging to victim Brown, which is a Ford Bronco with a gray shell. It's white and brown, 1980.
KAGAN: Once again, that license plate number?
PARRA: It is 1AIZ962, California license plate.
KAGAN: And this search has been going on since 1:00 or 2:00 this morning California time? PARRA: That's correct.
KAGAN: All right, well, we wish you well with that search. We will continue to follow that story. We have been getting a picture of the two girls, too. Tamera Brooks, 16, and Jacqueline Marris, 17, believed abducted early this morning from the Lancaster area.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
