According to Los Angeles police officials, a 38-year-old man was detained on suspicion of kidnapping after pretending to be a police officer in order to convince a 13-year-old boy to get into his truck.
The boy was hit by a pickup truck around 8 a.m. on Wednesday while he was bicycling close to Van Nuys Boulevard and Tupper Street in Panorama City, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The boy was shown a badge and told he was a police officer by a man who identified himself as Ottoniel Mendoza after getting out of the car, according to the LAPD.
Police claim that Mendoza instructed the boy to enter the truck, which he did.
After the collision, a witness tracked the truck and dialed the police.
Near the intersection of Tupper Street and Sepulveda Boulevard, police discovered Mendoza, another man, and the boy inside the truck.
The young man was taken to a hospital for treatment of his minor injuries from the collision.
Police said that although both of the truck’s adult occupants were detained and questioned, only Mendoza was ultimately arrested and taken to jail.
