A 40-year-old Kent man pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of attempted luring after initially being charged with second-degree attempted kidnapping during an incident in July 2024 in Kent involving a 6-year-old girl.
Hayder Hasan Albu-Mohammed pleaded guilty to attempted luring on Dec. 16, according to King County Superior Court documents. Prosecutors initially charged him July 19 with second-degree attempted kidnapping after a July 16 incident at the Meridian Green Apartments, 11305 SE Kent-Kangley Road.
Albu-Mohammed, 40, of Kent, pleaded not guilty Aug. 1 to a second-degree kidnapping charge. He had a trial date of March 10, 2025.
“I attempted to lure a minor under the age of 16 into an area of the parking lot that was obscured from public without consent of the parent and I was unknown to the minor,” Albu-Mohammed wrote in his plea of guilty court documents. “My actions of taking the minor by the hand and later picking her up constituted a substantial step toward the crime of luring.”
King County Superior Court Judge Mark Larrañaga on Dec. 20 gave Albu-Mohammed credit for 158 days in jail and a 364-day suspended sentence, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. He was released Dec. 20 from the county jail, according to jail records.
The judge ordered 24 months of probation, no contact with the victim, and that Albu-Mohammed get evaluations for substance abuse and alcohol abuse and that he successfully complete programs for substance and alcohol abuse.
The judge also ordered him to have no contact with minors “except under supervision of (a) responsible adult aware of this order, and with permission of CCO [state Department of Corrections community corrections officer] and treatment provider and comply with all conditions required by the judgement and sentence.”
The judge also ordered Albu-Mohammed not to live at the Meridian Green Apartments in Kent.
The restitution hearing date has yet to be set.
The incident
Kent Police arrested Albu-Mohammed July 16 at the Meridian Green Apartments. Officers responded at about 8 p.m. to the apartment complex after a 911 caller said a man was attempting to abduct a young child, according to charging documents.
Officers arrived at the complex and were flagged down by what police then described as three teen girls who witnessed the incident. All three girls live at the apartment complex and pointed in the direction of Albu-Mohammed. Officers took him into custody after the girls helped get the young girl from Albu-Mohammed.
While questioned by police, Albu-Mohammed, through an Arabic interpreter, said he asked a young girl to help him with his prayer beads and that he didn’t do anything wrong, according to charging papers. He said he was just 20 seconds from home and the girl appeared in front of him by coincidence. He said the girl said she would help him, which she did and then left.
The girls said they knew Albu-Mohammed was not related to or friends with the young girl. They said he gripped her hand extremely tight. Albu-Mohammed reportedly picked up the girl and started to run with her in his arms, according to charging papers. One of the girls began to record the incident with her cellphone as they ran after Albu-Mohammed. The girls yelled at him to put the girl down as they chased him. He put the girl down and one of the girls grabbed her, pulled her away and the girls all ran away toward the young girl’s home.
The family of the young girl told police they did not know Albu-Mohammed or give him permission to take the girl anywhere at any time.
Teens honored
The three girls who helped stop Albu-Mohammed from taking the 6-year-old girl received the Kent Police Chief’s Award for Citizen Commendation at a Sept. 17 City Council meeting.
Kent Police Deputy Chief Matt Stansfield and Mayor Dana Ralph honored the teenage girls “for their actions in thwarting an attempted kidnapping,” Stansfield said.
Bentley Hendrickson, Esme Munguia and Kylie Love were at the council meeting to receive the honor for their actions July 16 at the Meridian Green Apartments.
“They played a pivotal role in preventing an abduction,” Stansfield said at the meeting. “Their decisive actions ensured a child’s safety. Their actions not only saved a child from further trauma but contributed significantly to bring the suspect to justice.”
The three girls received a standing ovation from the City Council and the audience at the meeting.
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