‘I’d do it again’: Slingshot-wielding boy, 13, who saved his eight-year-old sister from being kidnapped in Michigan describes terrifying moment he saw the man grab her – and proudly shows off weapon that scared him off
- The heroic 13-year-old boy showed off his weapon of choice during a Good Morning America appearance on Thursday
- The teenager said that if the scary situation ever happened again, he wouldn’t think twice about deploying his slingshot a second time
- Police say the 17-year-old had plans to severely beat the 8-year-old girl
A 13-year-old boy who saved his eight-year-old sister from being kidnapped by quickly deploying his slingshot has spoken out to describe the harrowing ordeal – and said he would do it again to protect her.
His sister was out looking for mushrooms in her backyard in Alpena, Michigan, when a man appeared out of the woods.
The victim’s uncle posted on Facebook that the 17-year-old male suspect had a ‘black mohawk’ and had covered the young girl’s mouth and then tried to drag her away.
Her 13-year-old brother saw the tussle from his bedroom inside the family’s home and quickly sprung into action, grabbing his slingshot and firing objects at the would-be kidnapper’s head and chest.
Lieutenant John Grimshaw said the suspect admitted that he had the intent to severely beat the eight-year-old girl if he was successful dragging her away
During a Thursday morning Good Morning America appearance, the 13-year-old showed off the slingshot he used to defend his sister.
Several times, he reenacted the motion of deploying the slingshot.
He described watching the suspect attempt to kidnap his sister, and seeing his sister attempt to fight back.
He said his first instinct was to spring into action and, using the slingshot, fling a rock and then a marble at the suspect.
‘He was mad. He started cussing. I hit him again, he starts running away,’ explained the teenager, who showed off his weapon of choice, before concluding that: ‘if it does happen again, I’ll do it again.’
Lieutenant John Grimshaw, commander of the local post of the Michigan State Troopers said that the fast action and accurate aim by the teenager ’caused him (the kidnapper) 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,’ he told 9 and 10 News.
Grimshaw said the suspect admitted that his intent was to severely beat the eight-year-old girl after he’d kidnapped her.
The suspect, who was also left unidentified due to his age, ran away from the two children and attempted to hide before authorities located him at a gas station nearby.
The victim’s brother was credited for his heroism and making it easier for police to identify the suspect.
‘What he did also helped us to identify who the suspect was, because obviously he had injuries from getting hit with a slingshot,’ Grimshaw said.
The 13-year-old who staved off his sister’s kidnapper shows off the slingshot he used to do it
The teen says he wouldn’t hesitate to use the weapon again in a similar situation
An eight-year-old Michigan girl was rescued from a kidnapping attempt by a 17-year-old thanks to her brother’s use of a slingshot to stop the abductor, who was going to severely beat her in the woods
Authorities said the victim and her parents were both shaken up emotionally but that the girl was uninjured.
Grimshaw offered advice for people who might be victims of attempted kidnappings in the future.
‘Fight, fight, do everything you can bite the hand that’s hold in your that has one hand over your mouth. If that’s the case, stomp on their feet, kick them in the shin, do whatever you can to fight.’
And then if your mouth is free, scream as loud as you possibly can,’ the commander added.
