Man tries to kidnap woman in Sanger, police say. Is he the same man wanted in Visalia?

Police in Sanger are looking into the possibility that an attempted kidnapping in a parking lot in the city Sunday night might have been done by the same man wanted in an earlier Visalia case.

The Sanger incident happened about 8:20 p.m. outside Anytime Fitness at Academy and Annadale avenues, police Sgt. Joshua Johnson said.

The victim, described as a woman in her 20s, arrived intending to work out, Johnson said in a news release. She sat in her car for a moment and that’s when a man opened her driver’s door, grabbed her, and attempted to pull her out of her car.

The woman immediately fought back and was able to free herself from his grip, then drive away, Johnson said.

The man is described as a white male adult in his 30s or 40s with a medium build, about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing about 150 pounds. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and black boots. The victim reported the man may have fled in a black new model sedan.

Johnson said investigators were collecting surveillance video tapes. He said Sanger and Visalia police are working together to determine if the incidents are related.

In the Visalia incident, which happened about 4 p.m., a woman reported that a man choked her and pulled her pants down in a Walmart parking lot before fleeing. The assailant was described as a white man in his 40s wearing a black beanie and a gray hoodie.

Anyone with information is asked to call Sanger police at 559-875-8521.

This story was originally published December 9, 2019 at 8:05 AM.