Three 11-year-old girls in Kent, Washington, were hailed as heroes after they thwarted the attempted kidnapping of their 6-year-old neighbor, police said.
In a statement Wednesday, Kent police detailed getting a 911 call from a witness who saw a man attempt to take a young child. After the witness described the man, officers arrived and chased the man down.
After the man was detained, three 11-year-old girls told police that they were walking toward an ice cream truck when they noticed their 6-year-old neighbor being held by an unknown man, who was gripping her wrist. The child looked afraid and was telling the man to let her go, police said.
The girls began recording on their phones and approached the man. He picked up the child and tried to walk away, but the girls intercepted him and asked whether he knew the girl. He claimed he did, but the little girl shook her head in denial. The man then put her down and fled, while the three girls escorted the child safely back to her apartment.
Later, the child’s parents confirmed to police that the man was a stranger.
A family member told NBC affiliate KING of Seattle that they were shocked. “We’re grateful for the people who called police and caught the guy,” he said.
The suspect, a 40-year-old Kent resident, was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and booked into the King County jail. Police did not provide his name.
“We are impressed beyond words at the maturity and protectiveness displayed by these preteen girls,” Kent police said. “Without their intervention, the excellent description of the suspect from the 911 caller, and the swift response by multiple KPD Officers, the outcome would have changed dramatically.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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