A 36-year-old father in Los Angeles has been arrested and charged over the abduction of a two-year-old girl from a car wash earlier this month , who was sexually abused and then dumped in a restaurant parking lot hours later . Police say the key to tracking down the suspect , Michael David Ikeler , of Torrance , was a tip from his observant neighbor , who noticed Ikeler altering the appearance of his car . Investigators had released CCTV footage of the car - a white Nissan Altima - from the crime scene at the self-serve carwash in Gardena on April 2 . The mother was washing her car when she heard the toddler scream 'Mommy ' , only to turn around and find her daughter gone . At the time police described the driver of the vehicle as a serial predator , KTLA reported . Predator : Michael David Ikeler , 36 - seen here in previous booking photos from 2013 - was arrested April 9 and has pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of sexual assault in relation to the abduction of a little girl . Wanted : This CCTV footage of a white Nissan Altima was the way police were able to track Ikeler down , after a neighbor saw it on the news and then noticed Ikeler trying to alter his car , which looked the same . Scene : The little was found alone and naked in this parking lot at Jim 's Burgers . She was crying and had obvious injuries on her body , witnesses said . The girl , who has not been identified , was found just over two hours later in the dark parking lot of Jim 's Burgers , 13 miles away , after being spotted by concerned customers next to a dumpster . She was naked , alone and had obvious injuries . Witnesses say there were scratches on her legs and that she was screaming and putting her hands over her eyes . Detectives worked around the clock to find the kidnapper responsible for the “ horrific attack , ” . A tip came in on April 5 from a man who had seen the footage on the Nissan Altima on TV , and said his neighbor , Ikela , had been making changes to his car , which fit the description . Ikela was switching the number plates , removing the tint , and doing other cosmetic alterations like adding stickers , the neighbor said . Undercover officers began investigating . DNA evidence was gathered that linked Ikela to the horrific attack . Arrest : Undercover Gardena police officers Ikela 's house in Torrance ( pictured ) and his car on Regina Street near 183rd Street . Father : Ikela lives with his 18-year-old daughter and also has other children . He is being held on a $ 1 million bond . Ikela was arrested at his home in Torrance and charged with one count of lewd act upon a child with a kidnapping allegation , and two counts of oral copulation or sexual penetration with child 10 years old or younger , the Los Angeles County District Attorney ’ s Office said . He entered a not guilty plea on April 13 . Police have only just released the information about Ikela 's arrest , saying they are doing their best to protect the family of the victim . ' I haven ’ t seen a crime like this in the 20 years I ’ ve been in Gardena , ' a police lieutenant said . 'Our detectives are so thankful to the public and the person who called us , ' Gardena Police Lt. Steve Prendergrast told CBS . Ikeler has been arrested previously in Northern California and Arizona but not for crimes involving children . He also has children of his own . Neighbors say his 18-year-old daughter lives with him , and his social media accounts show more kids that appear to his as well . Investigators initially said the person responsible for the kidnapping was a serial predator . Police said Ikeler circled the car wash and as soon as the little girl wandered away , he snatched her . After the little girl was found , the frantic 911 call her mother made was released . The two-year-old girl from Gardena , California , disappeared from this car wash on April 2 . On the 911 call , the mother can be heard saying : ' I heard a scream and then when I cam around to see her…I heard her say ‘ Mom ’ and that ’ s when I turned around to see her washing and she was gone . ' Claudia Robles , who was heading into the burger joint where the child was found around 7.15pm , said that the little girl had scratches on her legs and was afraid of going toward the male police officers . The little girl , whom Gardena police have asked not to be identified , repeatedly covered her eyes and screamed after she was found . Police , who originally said she was OK , kept mum on the extent of the girl 's injuries and the extent that she had been abused , according toKTLA . The girl 's mother was too distressed to speak to media . 'She 's a pure little innocent baby , ' her aunt Grecian Alvarez said . Police would not describe the extent of the young girl 's injuries . Above , the white Nissan was also seen driving in a Gardena neighborhood . Caesar Alvarez , the girl 's uncle , said that she was doing well . She was taken to St Francis Medical Center for examination .
Girl disappeared from a car wash in Gardena , California , on April 2 . She was found hours later later naked at a burger restaurant 13 miles away . Police searching for driver of white Nissan Altima with tinted windows . Man in Torrance noticed his neighbor was altering his car and called police . Michael David Ikeler , 36 , was then arrested one week after abduction . Charged one count of lewd act upon a child with a kidnapping allegation , and two counts of oral copulation or sexual penetration of a child . Ikeler pleaded not guilty on April 13 .