A Michigan teen saved his sister from an alleged attempted kidnapping by hitting the suspect twice with a slingshot.
While hunting for mushrooms in her backyard in Alpena, Michigan, an eight-year-old girl was allegedly approached by a 17-year-old boy who had the intention of severely assaulting her, as reported by 9and10news.
On Thursday, the suspect allegedly emerged from the woods behind the girl’s backyard. He grabbed her and covered her mouth, and intended to take her back into the woods. She was alone in the backyard, but her brother noticed what was happening through a window inside the house.
“He was able to grab his slingshot and was able to slingshot something that hit the suspect right in the head. And that caused him to let go. The girl was able to struggle and get away and he shot another one, hit the suspect in the chest and then fled the scene,” the Alpena Post Commander, Lt. John Grimshaw told 9and10news.
The 17-year-old suffered injuries to his head and chest, which police say helped them identify him. He was found later that day hiding at a gas station.
“He really is the one, that I believe, saved his sister’s life or from having something seriously bad happening to her,” Grimshaw said. “For a 14-year-old to see that and to pop into action that quickly is extraordinary.”
The suspect faces charges of attempted kidnapping, attempted assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder and assault and battery, and is being held on a $150,000 bond. Since he is a juvenile, his identity has not been released. The girl was physically unharmed.
In 2021, there were 30,400 active missing person records for children under the age of 18 according to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center.