15-year-old boy arrested in kidnapping caught on video

SPRAGUE, Wash. - A 15-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday in connection with the attempted kidnapping of a 22-month-old toddler that was caught on surveillance video in this farming town in eastern Washington.

The teen, who lives in Sprague, was identified through the use of surveillance video, interviews, and evidence collection, Lincoln County Sheriff Wade Magers said.

The boy's identity was being withheld because he is a juvenile, Magers said.

Detectives started focusing on the arrested suspect in the last 24 hours, Magers said.

"Additional evidence, interviews, DNA collection, and surveillance was conducted," Magers said. "A search warrant was executed at the suspect's residence."

One of the kidnap victim's young siblings also identified the suspect, Magers said.

The 15-year-old was booked into a juvenile detention facility on suspicion of second-degree kidnapping, Magers said. The Lincoln County Prosecutor's Office will make the formal charging decisions.

Magers thanked the media for distributing pictures of the suspect and the public for providing tips.

The case drew wide attention when dramatic surveillance video footage showed a male running down a sidewalk with the toddler in his arms Sunday.

The child's two siblings screamed and chased him. The scene ended after two teenage boys joined the chase, and the male put down the toddler and fled. The toddler was not hurt.

Sprague is a town of about 500 people on I-90, about 40 miles west of Spokane.