'Help me!': Distraught mum's fight to stop Aussie DJ 'trying to snatch little boy'
A witness has described the moment he chased down an Australian DJ who allegedly attempted to snatch a two-year-old boy on a busy San Francisco street.
Roscoe Bradley Holyoake, a 34-year-old from Perth known as DJ Roski, has been charged with kidnapping and child endangerment after he was caught by bystanders.
Police say a mother reported Holyoake tried to grab her son while they were walking near the corner of Market and Noe streets just after midday (local time) on Friday.
The mother was holding her son’s hand and carrying a baby in a front pack.
Bystanders described to San Francisco TV station KTVU how Holyoake had the toddler in his arms and the mother, who was screaming “police, police, help me”, refused to let her son go.
Couple Adam and Sabrina Walker were in the vicinity with their own four-year-old son and said they watched as Holyoake released the boy after the struggle, smiled and then attempted to run away.
Mr Walker, a dentist, said he and other bystanders chased after Holyoake on foot.
“I think my fatherly instincts kicked in and I did what I thought was right,” Mr Walker told KTVU.
Holyoake gave up after a short chase, the dentist said.
“He put his hands up, and said, ‘All right, I’m done’, and he didn’t fight back, didn’t struggle, just obeyed my commands, walked to the sidewalk and put his hands on the wall and got on his knees,” Mr Walker said.
Ms Walker stayed with the distraught mother and her children.
“Out in broad daylight, when it’s so crowded, this was a very, very scary experience,” Ms Walker said.
Holyoake, who was a resident DJ at Connections Nightclub in Perth, has worked on RTR FM’s All Things Queer program and performed at other LGBTIQ+ events in Australia.
In December, he performed at the wrap party for entertainer Tim Minchin’s new mini-series Upright, describing it on his website as an “absolute pleasure”.
He is being held at the San Francisco County Jail on US$500,000 (A$700,000) bond.
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