School Children Grabbing Suspect Arrested
An attempted kidnapping, and truck stolen from an Air Force base in Kansas. Now the man believed to be responsible has been captured before his crime spree could continue. 38-year-old Tyler DeBarea is suspected of trying to grab children at a Wichita-area elementary school playground before stealing a pickup truck from McConnell Air Force Base, hitting barricades made of concrete-filled pipes at the base, and slamming it into a gate.
The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office say DeBarea ran on foot. Deputies later found him and took him into custody. He was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, battery and criminal threat.
After the arrest, deputies returned to Wineteer Elementary, where they found five 7- or 8-year-olds who said DeBarea either swatted them on the arm or tried to grab their shirt.
A spokesman for the Derby school district says staff was able to scare him away and move students inside.