Man tried to kidnap woman outside Homestead shopping plaza: Police

An arrest has been made in connection to an attempted kidnapping near a shopping plaza in Homestead, according to police.

Homestead Police announced the arrested of David Gross Andersen, 56, on Monday after they said he tried to kidnap a woman in the parking lot of Town Square Plaza located at 1099 N. Homestead Boulevard on Friday.

This charge came from an investigation following an initial arrest for loitering and prowling, after someone reported that Andersen asked for help with his wife in the Homestead Pavilion at 2400 NE 10th Court, police said.

Detectives quickly connected this case to Friday's attempted abduction case that had not yet been solved, when a man, later identified as Andersen, approached a woman who had been putting bags into her car at Town Square Plaza and asked her to help him with his wife in a nearby truck.

The woman initially followed the man but when she became suspicious and tried to walk away, police said he tried to grab her arm. The victim was able to break free and run back to her vehicle before driving off, police confirmed.

During further investigation into Andersen, police also uncovered an outstanding felony warrant for check fraud.