Man attempts kidnapping in St. Paul months after similar attacks: Charges
The St. Paul Police Department is asking for help finding a 27-year-old man they say is tied to an attempted kidnapping on Oct. 22.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A St. Paul man has been charged with burglary and attempted kidnapping, only months after being charged for a similar attack only miles away and previously being released from custody.
St. Paul kidnapping attempt
What we know:
Eduart Gomez Ochoa, 28, faces one count of first-degree assault/burglary and one count of attempted kidnapping for an incident that occurred on Oct. 22, 2026.
Dig deeper:
According to charges filed in Ramsey County, at around 10:20 p.m., officers were sent to the apartment building on the 700 block of Como Avenue in St. Paul, after a reported kidnapping attempt.
Responding police reported that the 21-year-old victim said she had been cooking at the stove near a window in her ground-level apartment with the window open and blinds down due to the warm temperature, when Ochoa allegedly appeared with half of his body inside the apartment.
He then attempted to pull her out of the window, as she kicked and screamed, before eventually being able to get away, and he fled the scene.
Officers reportedly recovered a hat and a headband from inside the kitchen that was tied to Ochoa, and were able to locate him only a day after asking for the public's help.
Investigators later connected to dots to were able to a previous case involving Ochoa from an attack on May 7, 2026, when he allegedly broke into an apartment and sexually assaulted a juvenile female. That attack occurred on the 1500 block of Westminster Street, only 3.1 miles away from the latest offense.
He was also charged after an incident on May 12, 2026, during which he allegedly attacked a woman in a parking lot, tried to touch her breasts, and bit her face.
Previous release in Hennepin County
The backstory:
Ochoa was previously released from custody in Hennepin County after he was granted conditional release without bail at the end of September, following being charged with third-degree assault when he was accused of punching a man in the face in January 2026.
"We are disappointed by the Hennepin County court’s decision to release Eduart Gomez Ochoa on Sept. 29," SPPD said in a statement.
The Source: Information provided by the St. Paul Police Department and charges filed in Ramsey County.