KENT, Wash. — The Kent Police Department (KPD) credited three 11-year-old girls for stopping a kidnapping at a local apartment complex on Tuesday night.
Around 8 p.m. on July 16, an ice cream truck entered an East Hill apartment complex, which drew dozens of kids to the parking lot, according to KPD. As the 11-year-old girls were walking to the ice cream truck, they saw a man holding the wrist of a six-year-old girl, who was also the girls' neighbor.
The girl was unable to break away from the man’s grip. The 11-year-old girls told police she looked scared and was telling the man to let go of her.
As the girls began filming with their phones, they approached the man and told him to leave the young girl alone, police said. When the girls got closer to the man, he picked up the young girl and attempted to quickly walk away, but police said the girls persisted.
Police said the man told the girls he knew the child, but the young girl shook her head to show he was lying. The man put the young girl down and ran away. The 11-year-old girls took her into the safety of her apartment and her parents later confirmed the man was a stranger.
Around 8:20 p.m., a witness called 911 to report the possible kidnapping and officers arrived on scene. The witness described the man and officers found him in the complex, arresting him after a chase.
The 40-year-old suspect is a man from Kent and was booked into jail for the investigation of kidnapping. A judge on Wednesday set his bail at $250,000. He has not yet been formally charged.
“The little girl is now safe, the man is in jail, and we are impressed beyond words at the maturity and protectiveness displayed by these preteen girls,” KPD said on social media. “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.”
Neighbors told KING 5 which unit the family of the 6-year-old lived in, which was consistent with the initial police dispatch. A woman inside identified herself as the girl's mother and due to a language barrier, she deferred comment to her 16-year-old nephew.
"They were really shocked [about] what happened," the teen said. "We're grateful for the people who called police and caught the guy."
The family expressed gratitude for the girls' actions.
"They did the right thing and [you] should always do that. We're really grateful for that."