A convicted Arizona child sex offender was arrested last week for trying to kidnap an 11-year-old girl in Tolleson.

The City of Tolleson said the most recent incident took place on September 29 when the suspect, later identified as 35-year-old Christopher Leon, grabbed the victim by the arm as she was walking home from school and tried to drag her away. The girl broke free, and Leon fled.

Investigators quickly identified him and launched a search. They announced his arrest on Saturday.

A police report said that the girl did not know Leon and that he tried to put cash in her hand, KTVK reported. She declined the money, and Leon asked what time it was said he’d be back for her the next day. Then the girl pulled away from him and ran back toward her school for help.

Witnesses and video showed him boarding a Valley Metro bus after the incident.

In an interview with police, Leon told detectives he saw the girl and thought she was “cute and beautiful” and decided that putting $6 in her hand would maker her more “attracted to him.” He said he would have tried to kiss her if she hadn’t run away.

He told police he ran away because he thought some one saw him and that he knew he was wrong because he’d been convicted of sex crimes in the past. He said he’d done similar things to two children in Tucson and another child in Tolleson, adding that he is attracted to young girls.

Leon also said he “accidentally” exposed himself to an adult woman while leaving Tolleson.