Witnesses say Hoopfest kidnapping suspect yelled ‘Amber Alert’ as he grabbed child

A man accused of trying to kidnap an 11-year-old child during Hoopfest on Sunday was yelling “Amber Alert! Amber Alert!” court records say.

Spokane Police arrested 26-year-old Peter Wilson on Sunday afternoon after witnesses say he wrapped his arms around an 11-year-old boy’s waist and attempted to take him away. The woman and her child, who are from Yakima, were waiting in line for pizza when Wilson walked up to them at around noon.

The child’s mother, identified in court records as Jessica Vasquez, told police she was just north of the Rotary Fountain in the park when Wilson approached her and asked if the boy was her son.

She said without warning, Wilson grabbed the 11-year-old boy by the waist and “began attempting to tug him away,” say records. Witnesses pulled Wilson away and held him until officers arrived.

Records say Wilson asked several other people about their children. One witness said Wilson yelled “Amber Alert!” as he grabbed Vasquez’s son.

Police on Sunday said Wilson wasn’t affiliated with Hoopfest or on a team, and had instead been wandering through the park.

Wilson has a felony conviction from a 2012 case.