By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-17 19:41:36 | Updated at 2024-11-17 21:37:48
2 hours ago
A Los Angeles man was exposed by 20 brazen teens who lured him to a park to catch him trying to meet up with a minor.
William Vandenbush, 46, allegedly sent naked pictures and 'agreed to meet a minor for sexual purposes,' the Riverside County Sheriff's Office wrote in a statement.
But when he arrived at Nicolas Road Park in Temecula on Friday at around 4:25pm, he was ambushed by a group of teens who plotted to stop him in his tracks.
'Upon arrival, a deputy was met with a crowd of approximately 20 juveniles recording the encounter,' the sheriff's office wrote.
Police arrested the Homeland, California resident and took him to the Cois Byrd Detention Center.
He was booked for reportedly sending harmful matter to a minor, contacting a minor for sexual purposes, and arranging to meet with minor for sexual purposes.
The sheriff's office declined to release further details due to the ongoing investigation.
However, they warned civilians not to pull stunts like this because even though it worked this time around, these situations can take dangerous turns.
William Vandenbush, 46, allegedly sent naked pictures and 'agreed to meet a minor for sexual purposes'
The statement reads: 'The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office strongly discourages residents from conducting their own undercover investigations and arranging to meet with potential suspects.
'This action unnecessarily jeopardized the safety of everyone in the vicinity of the park.'
The shocking incident occurred just days after a Florida mother confronted a predator sexting her 13-year-old daughter, resulting in him getting shot by police.
The unidentified mother learned on Sunday that someone was engaged in an 'inappropriate text relationship' with her daughter on Sunday, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Chief Alan Parker said at a news conference the following day.
He said the worried mom decided to take her daughter's phone and start texting the alleged predator, who was later identified as 18 year old Cerry Rodriques Banks, and arranged to meet up with him at a local Popeye's at 7am.
Banks still thought he was talking to the teenager, and agreed with the plan.
But when the mother showed up with her daughter and her 11-year-old son to the restaurant on Monday, Banks allegedly showed them a gun tucked into his waistband and warned, 'When you hear the shots tonight, you know what's up,' Parker said.
At that point, the mother went inside the restaurant and called police, who responded about half an hour later, and found Banks still outside.
Responding Officer Garrion Robinson then approached the suspect and went to handcuff him, when police say he started running around the back of the Popeye's, and Robinson chased him.
According to the sheriff's office, 20 teens ambushed the man after luring him to Nicolas Road Park
When Robinson eventually turned a corner, he saw Banks pull a pistol from his waistband, Parker said.
'He yells for him, "Drop, stop, gun, gun, gun," engages [the] suspect; he shoots him multiple times,' the chief recounted.
Still, police say, Banks continued to flee.
'The suspect continues around the neighboring business, then drops the gun,' Parker said. 'He continues running. The officer tracks him and loses sight of him.'
Officers then deployed a K-9 unit to try to track Banks down, and he was ultimately located hiding in a drainage culvert.
The suspect received medical assistance at the scene, as Parker said he was shot 'once in his hand, there's something in the torso and maybe one [time] in the leg.'
In September, an online child predator hunter caught a man in Wyoming by setting him up to meet a fake underage girl.
Sean Brennan, 57, came face-to-face with Colorado Ped Patrol member Tommy Fellows at Brennan's job.
The teens were allegedly recording Vandenbush as police arrived to arrest him
Throughout the clip, Fellows clutches and repeatedly references a binder he says contains a transcript of conversations between Brennan and decoy 'girls' - one of whom was allegedly 13.
During the altercation, Fellows accused Brennan of teaching one of the made-up girls sex acts, and of making plans with her for the day. He also said he sent him and colleagues sexual pictures.
At another point in, Fellows brought up how Brennan was convicted of a child pornography crime in Arizona around 25 years ago, after which he had to register as a sex offender.
After several minutes, Lander Police responded to the scene, with one officer remarking how 'Wyoming is way behind Colorado' in the strength of its sex-crime laws and how it would be unlikely they could make a felony arrest at that point.
