The child was sitting at a bus stop when a man, reportedly armed with a knife, tried to grab her.
Police say a security camera in Florida captured a disturbing scene: an attempted kidnapping of an 11-year-old girl. The child was waiting for the bus on Tuesday morning when a white minivan drove by.
It then returned and stopped, and a man, reportedly armed with a knife, could be seen exiting the vehicle and running towards the girl. The girl began to run away, and a struggle ensued for several tense moments. She was eventually able to free herself.
Afterward, the man was seen returning to his vehicle and driving away, and the girl ran to safety. Shortly afterward, a search began to find the suspect.
Later that evening, the Escambia County sheriff's office gave a press conference to announce they had arrested who they said was responsible for the attempting kidnapping.
The sheriff explained that they had tracked the 30-year-old suspect, Jared Paul Stanga, to his home and apprehended him that same afternoon.
They also pointed out that there was one telling bit of evidence that incriminated Stanga. “The victim at the time of the attempted abduction was playing with blue slime as a toy. She had blue slime on her hands. The suspect, when we caught him, had blue slime all over his own arms.“
Also, Stanga had reportedly approached the girl several days earlier.
The suspect is charged with attempted kidnapping, aggravated assault and simple assault. He is being held in Escambia County Jail without bond.
