Investigators believe a Rancho Cucamonga man wanted for allegedly trying to have sex with a person he thought was a teen boy has fled the state, police announced Wednesday.
According to the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department, 33-year-old Shadi Al-Abdual Razaq was caught in August during a law enforcement operation targeting adults who try to lure children for sex.
Shadi Al-Abdual Razaq is seen in an image released by Rancho Cucamonga police on Jan. 30, 2019.
Through a social media account that detectives use for investigations, Razaq allegedly contacted who he believed to be a 14-year-old boy.
The Police Department said officers chatted back and forth with Razaq, who sent naked pictures of himself before going to a location to meet the “boy.”
The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office charged him with sending harmful matter to a minor and meeting a minor for sexual acts, according to the Police Department.
Razaq made multiple court appearances before being released on bail, the agency said.
Police said while out of custody, Immigration Customs Enforcement agents detained him because Razaq, a resident of Jordan, is staying in the U.S. on a visa. He was later released from federal custody but had to wear a GPS ankle bracelet for authorities to know his location pending court hearings, police added.
Officials provided no further details about his detention.
Police said on Jan. 16, they learned that Razaq might have been planning to leave California.
“The District Attorney’s Office appealed to the court and requested his bail be revoked, however, that request was denied pending a further hearing on January 25, 2019,” a statement from the Police Department said.
According to investigators, Razaq stopped charging his ankle monitor on or about Jan. 19 and he did not appear in court on Jan. 25. Detectives suspect that he might be heading to North Carolina.
He was last seen driving a tan Lexus RX with the California license plate 4SUP458.
Anyone who recognizes Razaq or have information about his whereabouts is urged to call Rancho Cucamonga police at 909-477-2800 or dial 911. Those who wish to remain anonymous can contact the We-Tip hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or through wetip.com.