A registered sex offender thought to be connected to the attempted kidnapping of a 9-year-old girl was taken into custody on Tuesday. 

Officials arrived at Ieremia Tuiolemotu, 37, home located in eastern City Heights and took him away in handcuffs after DNA evidence showed that he was responsible for the incident that took place on June 15, San Diego police reported. 

The young girl was on her way to school crossing  Latimer Street in Valencia Park around 8:45 a.m. when a man driving a white minivan drove up alongside her and demanded that she get into his car, police stated. 

He snatched her and yanked her inside the van but luckily she successfully defended herself from him and broke away from his grasp after a couple minutes and got away. 

Tuiolemotu is also accused of exposing himself to a 17-year-old girl who was traveling down Wightman Street in City Heights June 9, police stated. 

She fled from him and did not converse or touch the man, who was also said to be driving a white minivan. 

Tuiolemotu’s has had a history of charges for indecent exposure and bothering or molesting a child under the age of 18, police reported. 

He was taken to jail under suspicion of kidnapping and indecent exposure charges.

The police are asking that anyone who believes they have been attacked or encountered Tuiolemotu to call police at (619) 527-3500.