A Cornelius man has been accused of attempting to kidnap a child from a stroller inside the Cornelius Walmart and injuring the child's father.
Police eventually arrested Denis Villalobos, 37, of Cornelius, and booked him into the Washington County Jail. A grand jury later indicted him on multiple charges.
According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, sheriff's office deputies and police from Forest Grove, Hillsboro and Beaverton police departments responded to an attempted kidnapping at the Cornelius Walmart on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, at 7:48 p.m.
The person who called 911 reported that a man had tried to take their child from a stroller inside the store and was armed with a knife, the sheriff's office said.
"The father stopped the man from grabbing the child out of the stroller, but was injured during the confrontation. As they struggled, the attacker pulled a knife from a pocket, but fortunately dropped it," the sheriff's office said in a press release.
The suspect ran from the scene and left in a white Jeep before law enforcement officers arrived, but not before a witness noted the vehicle's license plate number.
Responding officers began searching for the vehicle, and identified the suspect, Villalobos, as the vehicle's registered owner.
Law enforcement officers found him a short distance from the Walmart. He was arrested by a Forest Grove Police Department officer before being booked into the Washington County Jail, the sheriff's office said.
On Dec. 29, 2025, a Washington County Grand Jury indicted Villalobos on charges of attempted kidnapping in the second degree, assault in the second degree, assault in the fourth degree, unlawful use of a weapon, and menacing.
The sheriff's office asked that anyone who witnessed the incident and have not spoken with deputies contact the Cornelius Police Department through non-emergency dispatch at 503-629-0111 and refer to case number 57-25-1325.
