Fresno woman arrested after alleged attempt to kidnap 8-year-old girl

An 8-year-old girl broke free after police say a Fresno woman grabbed her by the hair and tried to pull her into a vehicle near Andrews Avenue and Shields and West Avenues. The child ran to a nearby home, pounded on the door until a resident opened it, and escaped what police described as an attempted kidnapping in broad daylight.

Fresno police identified the woman as Tyiesha Davis. Officers said the call came in around 4:38 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, 2026, from a home on Andrews Avenue, where investigators later determined Davis had allegedly grabbed the girl and tried to force her into a car. The child’s parents later told officers they did not know Davis and that she was not related to their daughter.

Davis was booked into the Fresno County Jail and is facing charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment and endangering a child. The arrest added to an already alarming day for investigators: local reporting said this was the second kidnapping-related incident in Fresno on Wednesday, and police said the two cases were unrelated.

The scene underscores how quickly a child-safety emergency can unfold in familiar Fresno settings, on a neighborhood street, near a home, or along the routes children use every day to walk, ride or play. In this case, the child’s ability to flee to a nearby house and alert an adult appears to have made the difference between an attempted abduction and a successful escape.

Police have not said what, if anything, Davis told officers about the alleged attempt. The Fresno Police Department also maintains a public safety and prevention resources page for residents, part of a broader effort to push family-safety awareness after incidents that can rattle confidence in ordinary places like sidewalks, driveways and school corridors. In a city where families often move through the same blocks every day, the case is a stark reminder that fast reporting, immediate intervention and quick refuge at a nearby home can matter in seconds.