Stranger tried to kidnap 6-year-old separated from her family in a supermarket—until her brother's one move sent him running
Some kids might know just the right way to act in a scary situation. A brother managed to do that when he saw his 6-year-old sister getting dragged away by a kidnapper. The family was out on a shopping trip when the incident happened. The kidnapper had the girl in a chokehold after she had steered away from the aisle her mother was in. But then her brother noticed that and his one action helped save her life, per KXAN News.
The two kids were at a Dollar Tree store with their mom in Austin, Texas, when the incident took place. They were looking around and shopping together, but were separated from each other at some point. The girl ended up by herself and was looking at candy in a different aisle from her mother and brother. She was engrossed in looking at the candy before she noticed that an adult man had walked up really close to her. The person, 32-year-old Michael Smith, touched the girl's hair, which scared her. She tried to run away, but the man held her back and pulled at her neck. He tried to take her to the back of the store while his grip was still strong on her neck and the 6-year-old was choking because of that.
Thankfully, the girl's brother noticed that a stranger was dragging his sister away by the neck. He immediately started screaming because of the sight. The commotion drew the attention of the mom and other people in the store. They rushed to help the little girl, while the kidnapper abandoned her and tried to run away. However, police had been immediately informed about the incident at the store on the 12000 block of North Interstate Highway 35. They arrived immediately and followed the kidnapper's trail. They were able to find the man at a bus stop near the location. The man was arrested for kidnapping and was put in custody at the Travis County jail.
The Illinois State Police shared certain safety tips parents should teach their children to avoid potential kidnapping. They advised that kids should be told not to talk to strangers and go to a trusted adult if a stranger approaches them. The department also pointed out that kids should not be left alone outside their house, even for a brief period. They should also walk in groups from places like schools and bus stops. Children should also be taught to stay away from cars. In case they come across a suspicious person, they are supposed to run away, yell loudly, or scream what is exactly wrong with the situation.
A person's situational awareness can also be really helpful in such cases. In another case, a stranger noticed that a girl was being led by a woman and pretended to be her mom to save her from kidnapping. The tween girl, Amy Martinez, was going to school when a woman tried to kidnap her, per ABC 13 News. But then another stranger noticed that Martinez was struggling to free herself from the woman's grip and realized what was going on. The person had rolled down her car window and checked in on the girl, who confirmed she was not okay. She told the kidnapper that she was the girl's mom and wanted her back.
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