A parolee suspected of kidnapping a 10-year-old Los Angeles girl was recorded on a border security camera entering Mexico, the Los Angeles Police Department chief said Friday.
"Tobias Summers was seen via video surveillance crossing a footbridge into Tecate from the United States. We have no way to know whether or not he has returned since that journey, but we are focusing our efforts on that region," said LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, who did not disclose when the video was recorded.
Tecate, Mexico, is located about 30 miles east of Tijuana, just across the border from San Diego.
"Summers is unlikely to blend in to the general population," Beck said. "We assume that he is hunkered down, hiding someplace and we need the public to be aware of what he looks like and what he's done so that we can get cooperation."
Police confirmed they have obtained the video, but are choosing not to release it to the public. Police also declined to discuss how Summers got to the border, or whether he got assistance; however, Chief of Detectives Kirk Albanese said, "Anybody that has aided or will aid Summers will be subject to arrest."
An official with Baja California state police confirmed Friday that they are investigating a lead that Summers may be hiding out with a girlfriend who lives in Tijuana, but so far, that has not panned out.
"We might be getting bogus tips, but we still need to check them out just to make sure. We're taking every tip seriously and we're checking every tip that we get," he said.
Summers, 30, allegedly entered a home in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles and kidnapped a girl on March 27. The girl was found alive about 12 hours after her disappearance.
A second suspect, 29-year-old Daniel Martinez, was arrested last week and has since pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and burglary charges.
Summers previously served three prison terms, has a history of substance addiction and allegedly has been active in a San Fernando Valley White supremacist gang.