Prosecutors say the 8-year-old screamed as a man tried to pull her away from a yard while holding a knife.
SEATTLE, WA — A 22-year-old Seattle man has been charged with attempted kidnapping after prosecutors said he grabbed an 8-year-old girl outside a West Seattle home Saturday and tried to pull her away while holding a knife.
Cristien Xavier Bugge-Marcum was charged Wednesday with attempted kidnapping in the second degree after Seattle police referred the case to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. He remained in custody on $750,000 bail as the case moved toward arraignment. Prosecutors said the allegation shook a residential Gatewood block where children had been playing outside and neighbors later helped police identify a suspect through surveillance video and witness accounts.
The reported attack happened around 2 p.m. April 25 near 36th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Othello Street in West Seattle. Court records say the girl had been playing with other children in a front yard and was waiting outside for a friend when a man approached. Police said the girl told investigators she was sitting on a stump when the man grabbed her arm and tried to pull her down a driveway. A nearby child heard the girl scream and looked outside. That witness later told investigators the man was pulling the girl with one hand while holding a knife in the other. Angeline Thomas, who lives at the home where the children had been playing, said the response was immediate. “The girl next door saw her being grabbed, and heard her scream,” Thomas said. “She came running outside and the guy ran away.”
Investigators said the girl was not physically injured, but court records described her as scared for her life. Police said the suspect fled after the girl screamed and nearby children alerted an adult. Neighbors checked cameras and shared video as officers searched the area. Police later said surveillance footage showed a man leaving the area about 30 seconds after a scream was heard. Bugge-Marcum confirmed to police that he was the person seen in the video, according to court records, but denied touching any children. Police said he had a skateboard and a backpack when he first walked past the girl, then returned about five minutes later and ran toward her without speaking. The child told investigators she felt pressure and squeezing on her arm before she screamed.
Seattle police arrested Bugge-Marcum the next day, April 26, after officers distributed visual evidence from neighborhood video and found someone matching the suspect description. He was taken to Seattle Police Headquarters for an interview and booked into the King County Jail for investigation of kidnapping Sunday afternoon. Prosecutors said Bugge-Marcum had recently moved to the neighborhood and had been staying with friends. In a police interview, he said he thought people in the neighborhood were “uptight” and said he had gotten in trouble for smoking nearby, according to investigators. He also told police he believed neighbors may have “pinned” the incident on him. Authorities have not said what motive, if any, they believe was behind the alleged attempt.
The case first went before a judge Monday, when prosecutors argued for $750,000 bail and said the allegation involved a child, a public setting and a knife. A judge found probable cause for attempted kidnapping in the second degree with a deadly weapon enhancement. Prosecutors initially argued the facts supported attempted kidnapping in the first degree, but the formal charge filed Wednesday was attempted kidnapping in the second degree. Casey McNerthney, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, said prosecutors reviewed the Seattle police referral independently before filing the charge. “We reviewed it independently and felt that we could file for attempted kidnapping in the second degree,” McNerthney said. He said prosecutors asked that bail remain at $750,000.
The defense contested the bail amount and the severity of the allegation during the first court appearance. Bugge-Marcum’s attorney said he had no criminal history, had cooperated with police and “adamantly denies” the accusation. His mother also spoke in court and described him as nonaggressive, calling the allegations “mind-blowing.” Prosecutors said the lack of a prior record did not erase the risk they believed the case presented, citing the age of the child, the alleged use of a knife and the fact that Bugge-Marcum had been living nearby. The judge set conditions for any possible release, including no contact with minors and no possession of dangerous weapons. Bugge-Marcum is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Neighbors and the girl’s family described the Gatewood area as close-knit and family centered. Pamela Tucker, a West Seattle resident and grandmother, said the neighborhood has long felt safe for children. “It’s a great neighborhood and area to live in,” Tucker said. “Very family oriented, lots of kids around, they are playing sports.” She said she was shocked to hear that an attempted kidnapping had been reported nearby. The victim’s father, who asked not to be identified, credited neighbors with helping investigators after the girl screamed and the suspect ran. “It was amazing,” Thomas said of the response. “Within minutes, neighbors came out. They’re like, ‘We’ll check our cameras. We’ll figure it out.’ We figured it out.”
Bugge-Marcum’s next court appearance is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday, May 4, in King County Superior Court, where he is expected to be arraigned and enter an initial plea. He remained in jail Thursday on the $750,000 bail set by the court.
Author note: Last updated April 30, 2026.