SCHERTZ, Texas – A man accused of trying to kidnap a 10-year-old boy in Schertz told him to “get in the van or I’ll shoot you,” according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by KSAT.
Ismael Ortega Quiroz, 33, was taken into custody Thursday night by Schertz police. He has been charged with attempted kidnapping, records with the Bexar County Jail show.
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Officers located a van Quiroz used in the kidnapping based on descriptions provided by the child and from surveillance video near the attempted abduction site, according to the affidavit.
Child describes alleged abduction attempt
Police said that around 5:40 p.m. Wednesday, the 10-year-old child was walking in the 1000 block of Mulhouse Drive when a white Chevrolet work van with a rusted front grill stopped next to him.
The child said a man dressed in all black and wearing a ski mask and black gloves got out of the van and threatened him by saying, “Get in the van or I’ll shoot you,” the affidavit said.
The child did not see the man holding a weapon but saw what he told police looked like an “AK-style rifle” inside the van, the affidavit stated.
The child ran from the man but took a photo of the vehicle as it drove away. Police said the child sustained several cuts on his legs from running through a wooded area.
During another interview with a forensic expert on Thursday at 11 a.m., the child said the man exited the passenger side of the van and grabbed his shoulder before threatening him.
The child said he then punched the man in the head, grabbed and twisted his arm, and punched the man in the hip before escaping, according to the affidavit. Investigators did not say if Quiroz had visible injuries.
Van found near construction site
A ring camera from a home about 100 feet away captured the van, according to investigators. On Thursday, multiple still photos and videos of the same vehicle were uploaded to a website, investigators said.
The van had dents on the front of the vehicle but no front license plate, the affidavit said.
Two Schertz officers canvassed a construction site two blocks from the attempted abduction site and located a vehicle matching the child’s description and the images.
Officers then made contact with the owner of the van, identified in the affidavit as Quiroz, who gave them consent to search the vehicle. Inside, the officers located a large paint-churning drill matching the description of the rifle the child saw, the affidavit said.
Investigators asked Quiroz when he left the construction site on Wednesday, and Quiroz said he left around 5 p.m., the affidavit states.
When investigators asked Quiroz if he saw the child when he was leaving, Quiroz initially said he didn’t but then said he saw the child turn around and walk toward what he presumed was home or a school, the affidavit said.
Quiroz then admitted to being in the area of the attempted abduction site and watching the child walk by himself but claimed he never spoke to or approached the child, according to the affidavit.
The charge of attempt to commit kidnapping is a third-degree felony.
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