Police arrested a Miami-Dade man Tuesday who allegedly abducted, sexually assaulted, and shot a 12-year-old boy over the weekend.
“Police took 43-year-old Aliex Santiesteban into custody and charged him with several counts, including sexual battery with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and attempted murder,” NBC 6 reported.
The suspect was booked into the Miami-Dade jail Tuesday morning and held without bond, according to records.
Officers said DNA evidence eventually led them to Santiesteban.
“This is a reminder to parents and children to be vigilant because in this world, there are evil people who will not hesitate to harm children,” said MDPD Director Freddy Ramirez.
The NBC 6 report detailed the events:
Investigators say the incident happened around 2:30 a.m. Saturday as the boy was walking in the area of Northwest 43rd Terrace and 30th Avenue while returning home after going to meet with friends when he was approached by a man in a black, 4-door sedan, Miami-Dade Police officials said. The man forced the boy inside the vehicle and drove him to an empty lot in the area of Northwest 45th Street and 31st Avenue, where he was sexually assaulted in the back seat of the car.
At a news conference Monday, Miami-Dade Police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta said the child locks had been activated on the car, which prevented the boy from getting out. Zabaleta said the boy eventually fought the man off, then the man shot him in the face and pushed him out of the car.
Surveillance footage caught the moment someone helped the boy get to a nearby store so they could call 911, according to CBS Miami.
“He was screaming, ‘Help! Somebody help me, please, please!’ So I bring him to the store while we call the police. Before he was unconscious, he fell on the sidewalk and he said he had been shot,” said the person identified as Johnny.
The surveillance video appeared to show the child covered in blood collapsing on the ground. When emergency crews arrived, he was taken to Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition:
“He still has a long way ahead as far as his recovery is concerned,” Zabaleta commented, adding, “It’s devastating to know that this individual, not only did he have to live the traumatic incident of being sexually assaulted, but then at the same time be shot in the face.”
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