Three 11 year-old girls from Washington state took out their phones to capture a man allegedly grabbing hold of a 6-year-old Wednesday night, leading the suspect to let the girl go, police said.
The three were on their way to get ice cream from an ice cream truck outside an apartment complex in Kent, Washington when they noticed a man trying to kidnap the small child, according to a Facebook press release by the Kent Police Department (KPD), citing witnesses.
The suspect was identified as 40-year-old Kent-resident Hayder Albu Mohammed, according to the Kent Reporter. (RELATED: REPORT: Neighbors Say Sex Offender Operating Ice Cream Truck, Trying To Lure Children)
The victim’s “young brother” yelled at her but she was unable to break the middle-aged suspect’s hold, the KPD alleged. The three 11-year-olds alleged that the little girl was fearful. The girl allegedly cried out and begged the man to set her free.
The three 11-year-olds stepped in, pressed record on their phones and proceeded to order the suspect “to leave her alone,” according to law enforcement. The man allegedly attempted to “speed walk” away from the situation with the child in hand, but the girls “persisted.”
The girls further confronted the suspect and pressed the him on if he knew the child he was trying to forcibly take hold of, according to the KPD. He allegedly told them yes, prompting the 6-year-old to shake her head to signal that the suspect was lying, police added.
The suspect then put the girl down, prompting the three 11-year-olds to grab her, according to police. The man then allegedly took off on foot. The three returned the girl to her apartment.
‘We are so proud of you’: 3 pre-teens thwart man trying to kidnap 6-year-old girl https://t.co/4iyQuENSMw
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 19, 2024
The suspect was later arrested at a separate apartment complex in the area on a kidnapping charge and taken to the King County jail house, according to the KPD. (RELATED: ‘Terrifying’: Police Arrest Suspect In Alleged Kidnapping Attempt Caught On Camera, Cops Say)
As he was being arrested, Mohammed told officers that he had asked the girl to assist him with prayer beads and added that he had committed no wrongdoing, probable cause documents said, the Kent Reporter reported. When officers reportedly told him he was under arrest for second-degree kidnapping, he said he never spoke with her.
Mohammed is currently being held on $250,000 bail, according to the outlet.
