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Breaking News
L.A. Sheriff Discusses Teen Carjacking
Aired August 01, 2002 - 10:11 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Once again, we are following this breaking news story out of southern California, out of Lancaster, just north of downtown, Los Angeles. Two teenage girls abducted by a man who sheriff's deputies believe was a carjacker who arrived at the point where teenagers park and hang out with their girlfriends and boyfriends and took one young man, taped him up, took his girlfriend, and then approached another car at gunpoint and made off with one of the cars and two of the girls.
Police, sheriff's deputies now looking for the two young girls and the gunman. Tamera Brooks, 16, and Jaqueline Marris, 17, still missing. OK, here are pictures that we are just getting in of the young women. This would be Tamera Brooks -- 16 years old, abducted last night from Lancaster. Also taken from a separate car would be Jaqueline Marris; she is 17 years old.
The deputy sheriff we talked with just a little bit ago says she doesn't believe these two young women know each other. They were both randomly picked as they were parked with their boyfriends at this point near Lancaster.
In fact, we have that deputy sheriff back with us on the phone, Deputy Sheriff Sonia Parra from the the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.
Deputy, thank you for coming back with us. In particular -- I don't know if you can see our air right now, but we have a picture of I believe the vehicle you are looking for. A Ford Bronco.
SONIA PARRA, LOS ANGELES POLICE: No, I don't have it on our screen here.
KAGAN: But you are familiar with what we are talking about.
PARRA: Yes.
KAGAN: If you could describe it and why people especially in southern California should be on look out for this particular vehicle.
PARRA: Yes, it's a 1980 white and brown Ford Bronco with a gray shell. It has a license plate number of 1AIZ 962, which was stolen from one of our victims.
KAGAN: And was it Tamera Brooks and her friend who were parked in that car or Jaqueline Marris and her friend?
PARRA: Let me see. It was from victim Brown. KAGAN: And brown was with...
PARRA: Brown was with...actually, this doesn't say here. I'm sorry.
KAGAN: One of the couples was in this car.
PARRA: Yes.
KAGAN: I guess it would be maybe perhaps the second car.
PARRA: I believe it was Jaqueline Marris -- yes. It was Marris and Brown were in one of the vehicles. So it was Joshua Brown's vehicle they stole.
KAGAN: This is also the first opportunity we have to see pictures of the young women that you're locking for you who you believe were abducted at gunpoint. Beautiful young women, each one of them. Tamera Brooks and also Jaqueline Marris, Tamera being 16 and Jaqueline being 17.
You were telling us earlier you don't think these two young women know each other. They just happened both to be parked at this place.
PARRA: Right. I am trying to confirm that, but it appears at this time that they were unrelated and were just two separate vehicles, two separate couples, and did not know each other.
KAGAN: Now, I imagine you've had a chance or other deputies have had a chance to interview extensively the young men that they were with.
PARRA: Yes.
KAGAN: And what kind of information have you been able to get out of them about exactly what took place?
PARRA: Well, that they were approached by the suspect, a male Hispanic between 30 and 40 years old. At gunpoint, they were forced out of the vehicle. And then the suspect approached a second vehicle. At gunpoint again, he forced the other two victims out of the vehicle, tied the boys up, and took off with the girls in this Ford Bronco. And that's what we have learned from the one victim that was able to speak to our deputies.
KAGAN: Just one of them was able to speak with your deputies?
PARRA: No, I believe both of them, but I believe the statements were taken from Brown, who was able to give a more accurate description being that it was his vehicle.
KAGAN: OK.
PARRA: Also his vehicle license plate so we could put it out in the area. KAGAN: I'm talking to my producers here. Let's put the picture of the car up one more time so our viewers can get a good look at exatly what -- that's a live picture of the Lancaster area, I believe. If we could put the photo up of the car that we had, if we -- there it is. That's what we are looking for. Once again, as Deputy Sheriff Parra was describing it, 1980 Ford Bronco, and the license plate, 1AIZ 962.
California plate, deputy?
PARRA: Yes, it is a California plate.
KAGAN: And as you said, there's no indication of what particular direction from Lancaster they might be headed.
PARRA: He fled the area, obviously, out of the particular lovers' lane and into the main highway, which is Highway 14. That's all we know right now. We have learned that from one of our sheriffs in the area.
KAGAN: For those of us not familiar with the Lancaster area, highway 14 would be which direction?
PARRA: They did not give us -- it is unknown direction, but the freeway is adjacent to that area. That is a semiremote area of the unincorporated Los Angeles County. It is as very popular area for teenagers because it is secluded.
KAGAN: All right, Deputy sheriff Sonia Parra, thank you so much for the updated information.
PARRA: You're welcome.
KAGAN: Very important for us to get the pictures on the air there, both of the two young women who you are looking for, trying to bring them back to safety and also the car that you believe that their abductor could be carrying them in.
We will be checking back with you as more information breaks on this story. Thank you so much, Deputy Sheriff Sonia Parra, joining us from Lancaster, California.
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