An eleven year old girl defended herself against an armed man that attempted to kidnap her Tuesday morning at a bus stop, video surveillance footage shows.
The attacker exited his white Dodge journey and ran towards the eleven year old with a knife in hand attempting to kidnap her in West Pensacola, Florida, footage shows. Escambia County Sheriff Chip W. Simmons announced that the man has been arrested, referring to him as an “animal” at a Tuesday press conference.
“We are here to announce that we have caught the animal that tried to kidnap an eleven-year-old girl this morning. At about seven o’clock this morning a white van pulled up to an eleven-year-old girl, stopped the van, looked around, and then a man left that vehicle, ran toward the eleven year old victim with something in his hand that is reported to be a knife,” Simmons said at a press conference Tuesday.
Footage shows the man grabbing the girl and dragging her to his van. The girl fought against the attacker causing him to fall and return to his van. (RELATED: Kidnapper Chose 13-Year Old Victim After Watching Her At The Bus Stop)
“He grabbed her, picked her up, and tried to carry her into that van. She fought, and she fought, and she fought, until finally, she was able to break free from her would-be captor,” Simmons said.
Law enforcement identified the van and obtained a tag number that led them to track the suspect’s location. The suspect’s arms were reportedly covered in blue slime since the girl was playing with it at the time of the attack, Simmons said.
Simmons said the community can feel at ease knowing that the suspect is in custody and applauded the girl for escaping the attempting kidnapping.
“We can once again applaud the efforts and the resilience of an eleven-year-old girl,” Simmons concluded.
The 30-year-old suspect, whose name is unidentified, will be charged with attempted kidnapping and with aggravated assault for using a knife, Simmons said.