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May 08, 2023

North Texas couple fights off attempted kidnapping suspect

A man is in custody after Tarrant County authorities say he tried to kidnap a

A man is in custody after Tarrant County authorities say he tried to kidnap a child and led deputies on a pursuit.

Steven Bayse, 62, faces charges of kidnapping, evading arrest with a vehicle, and aggravated assault against a public servant. Carlos Ortiz of Crowley said his two-year-old daughter is the child Bayse allegedly tried to kidnap on Monday evening.

Ortiz said he was returning home Monday evening with his wife and child from the Walmart near their home on Lansman Drive when he noticed a blue truck following them. At first, Ortiz said he didn't think much of it and thought it could potentially be a neighbor they didn't recognize.

"That's when we were like, ‘Okay. [The car] is turning with us.’ We start pulling in our driveway. The truck parked across the street," Ortiz said.

His wife took the groceries inside the house, while their daughter began playing in the flower bed outside their house. Ortiz spoke with the suspect, who asked about Ortiz's truck and whether he was interested in selling it.

Ortiz recalled the suspect and then asked about his daughter.

"He started seeing my daughter out in the front yard. He was like, oh that's your daughter? I was like, ‘Yes. It is,’" he said. "He said, ‘She's cute. That could be like my Shelby.’ That's when I thought to myself, ‘Okay. He's probably talking about a relative, daughter, granddaughter of his.’"

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Ortiz said he kept an eye on his daughter while Bayse was still in his truck.

"He started saying some other things that threw red flags up to me," he said. "He starts saying things like, ‘That could be like Shelby. Oh, that's my truck.’ Probably because he had a similar truck to mine. Just a different year, make, and model," he said.

The suspect then got out of his truck.

"I didn't think much of it, because he's probably just trying to say hi. Out of nowhere, he just scoops her up and starts heading back to his truck," Ortiz said.

He was able to get a hold of the suspect. Ortiz's wife then came running outside with a knife, he said.

"I was holding his arm then my wife, she had one arm on our kid. The other arm with the knife to his neck. Eventually, she was able to pull her out of his arms and runs inside," he recalled. "I couldn't think of anything else. I just was like, I need to hold him off and my wife needs to pull her off and go."

According to the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, Ortiz's wife was able to give deputies the make, model and tag number of the Bayse's vehicle. Deputies went to his Crowley home, found the vehicle and attempted to stop and talk to him.

Bayse refused to stop when deputies tried to pull him over, which led to a chase. Authorities say he stopped several times, acting as if he would surrender and then continue running from deputies.

"At one point during the chase, deputies attempted to conduct a high-risk stop, when Bayse was stopped at a red light. Again, he drove off and struck three patrol vehicles and almost struck a TCSO deputy. Bayse eventually pulled into the parking lot of a grocery store and was taken into custody," a press release from the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office reads.

Ortiz said he is thankful his family is safe and urges everyone to remain vigilant.

"If something looks suspicious towards you, you have that feeling as a parent and you have kids with you…don't let that go," he said.

As of Tuesday, Bayse remains in jail. The bond has been set at $125,000.