Doorbell camera captures possible kidnapping in Los Angeles

A woman’s chilling screams cut through the darkness in a Los Angeles neighbourhood late Tuesday evening.

“Help me! Somebody help me please!” she screamed.

The woman’s desperate pleas for help were caught on video by a Ring doorbell camera affixed to a neighbour’s home.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has now shared the video publicly in a bid to help find the woman they say may be the victim of a kidnapping.

According to a news release issued by the LAPD, the incident occurred just after 11 p.m. on Tuesday, in the 3000 block of 3rd Avenue.

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In the video, the woman can be heard screaming moments before a vehicle races into and then back out of the frame.

The LAPD says witnesses described seeing what is believed to be a white four-door Toyota Prius with two people inside speeding southbound on 3rd Avenue.

Witnesses told police the victim — described as a black woman with dark, braided hair — was sitting in the vehicle’s front passenger seat, while the male suspect was in the driver’s seat.

One witness said the victim was screaming as her hair was being pulled backward.

1:08 ‘Suspicious male’ caught on video prior to break and enter in Ancaster

Another witness told police they saw plastic wrap over the front passenger-side window, possibly from a prior collision.

Witnesses say the suspect was heard yelling “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” as the car sped off.

LAPD Det. Meghan Aguilar told The Washington Post that when officers arrived on scene, they did not find any potential victims or suspects.

It wasn’t until the next day that officers received the video, Aguilar said.

Police are now asking anyone with information to contact officers at 213-485-2197.

Earlier this year, what appeared to be an attempted kidnapping was captured by a surveillance camera in Brampton, Ont.

Police say a vehicle was driving alongside a man when two individuals exited the car and threw him into the trunk.

However, police say after an investigation it was determined that the incident was not a kidnapping, but was, in fact, a group of men “attempting to simulate a movie-type scene.”