An 11-year-old girl was nearly kidnapped in the United States. The child was able to tear itself away at the last moment and the perpetrator was arrested thanks to a random video recording, writes «ABC News».
The incident happened on Tuesday morning in the city of Pensacola, Florida. According to the police who released the video, the girl was waiting at a bus stop. She was sitting in the meadow next to her backpack. Suddenly a white car stops and a man armed with a knife rushes towards the child.
Girl breaks free
The recordings show the eleven-year-old trying to run away. But the culprit manages to grab them first. When he pulls her back to the car, they both fall to the ground, whereupon the girl pulls away, packs her backpack and runs away. The man gets back in the car and drives away.
Eight hours later, the man named Jared Paul S. * (30) is arrested in Escambia County. He is charged with attempted child abduction and aggravated assault.
The girl ran home after the incident and told her parents what happened. These in turn immediately alerted the police.
The perpetrator had “slime” marks on his hands
Around 50 police officers scoured the area after the incident and checked dozens of surveillance cameras. “We knew we had a short period of time,” said Police Chief Chip Simmons.
The investigation then led to the 30-year-old’s house. He was still wearing the same clothes as in the surveillance video. He also had traces of the blue slime that the girl had played with.
According to the police, S. has an “extensive” criminal history. He was previously charged with a child sex offense.
The girl is doing well according to the circumstances. She is safe with her family. Simmons praised “the effort and resilience” of the eleven-year-olds. “She did the right thing – she fought and fought and fought and never gave up.” (man)