A 13-year-old girl escaped an attempted kidnapping outside a Shell gas station on South State Road 7 in Miramar on Monday, and police have charged a 32-year-old man in connection with the incident.
Witnesses called 911 as they watched a man on a scooter approach the girl. Surveillance video obtained by 7News shows the man walking beside her, wrapping an arm around her body and then her neck, according to the footage. Miramar Police Chief Delrish Moss said the man began talking with the child before putting her in a headlock and trying to take her away.
The girl slipped free a short time later. A good Samaritan told 7News he yelled at the man, which helped her break loose. Moss credited the girl with fighting back, running into the gas station and making noise to draw attention.
“This child did everything right,” Moss said.
Detectives took Michael E. Polanco, 32, into custody. At his bond court appearance, a judge told him he faces charges of kidnapping and battery. He remains in the Broward County Jail with no bond.
