WEST SEATTLE — A man is behind bars after allegedly attempting to kidnap an eight-year-old girl in West Seattle at knifepoint Saturday.
It happened in the Gatewood area, near SW Othello St and 36th Ave SW, around 2 p.m. Saturday.
Neighbors say a group of kids was playing in the front yard of a home together when most of them ran inside. They told KIRO 7 that a young girl was left outside alone, waiting for a friend in another house for “maybe a few minutes.”
In that time, neighbors said a man approached the girl and grabbed her arm, trying to pull her down the driveway with a knife in his other hand.
“The girl next door saw her being grabbed, and heard her scream,” said Angeline Thomas, who lives in the home where the children were playing outside. “She came running outside and the guy ran away.”
The victim’s father told KIRO 7 that’s exactly what she was raised to do. He asked KIRO 7 not to share his name.
“If somebody does make you feel uncomfortable, get away,” he said. “Go to the nearest house. Flag down the nearest adult that you see. If somebody does try something with you, get loud. Get mean. Get ready to fight, and don’t stop.”
He and his neighbors credit their close-knit community for helping track the suspect down.
“It was amazing,” Thomas said. “Within minutes, neighbors came out. They’re like, ‘We’ll check our cameras. We’ll figure it out.’ We figured it out.”
“It’s a call out to other neighborhoods,” the victim’s father said. “Know your people that are around you. Know their kids. Know them by first name, have the phone numbers and look out for each other.”
A 22-year-old is now behind bars. The Court found probable cause for Attempted Kidnapping in the Second Degree with a deadly weapon enhancement and set bail at $750,000.
The suspect remained in custody Tuesday afternoon.
His attorney stressed in court that he had no criminal record and adamantly denied the allegations against him.