A kidnapper was arrested and charged after his attempt at abducting two girls was foiled by church members in Florida.
Two girls were saved from an attempted kidnapping by a man after Florida church members noticed something peculiar about the situation. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said that the incident happened on Sunday after 6 p.m., when two girls left a restaurant in FishHawk Ranch and were followed by a man who was later identified as 37 year old David Daniels.
The Blaze reported that as per the police, Daniels told the girls that he would "supervise" them leaving the restaurant. Jessica Lang of the sheriff's office said Daniels "did not know these children and these children definitely did not know him."
Lang said that Daniels followed the two girls, who got on their bikes to go to a nearby church to ask for help. She added that Daniels "[followed] them out of the restaurant and starts to hit one of the children over the head." Police said that at one point, Daniels put one of the girls into a headlock.
Woman from Church Helps Save Girls from Being Kidnapped
At the church, a mother who asked not to be identified said that she saw Daniels walking with the girls on their bicycles. She felt that something was wrong when she saw Daniels acting aggressively towards one of the girls, iHeart reported.
The church member then saw one of the girls mouth a cry for help. The mother said, "One of the little girls was mouthing to me, 'Please help me, this is not my dad.;" That was when she invited them into the church.
The mother then "engaged in conversation" with Daniels, who claimed to have just moved into town. She asked where they had moved from and he replied with "Oh, I am not really sure." Florida church members then called 911 for help.
"Members of this church really stepped up to protect children that were not theirs," Lang said. "They saw that something was wrong and they saved these children."
Daniels was then arrested a short distance from the church. He was charged with child abuse and false imprisonment on a child and is now being held on a $104,000 bail at the Hillsborough County Jail.
Also Read: Brave Samaritan Saves Woman From Attempted Kidnapping, Rescue Caught On Cam
Florida Church Members Prevents Car Thief and Kidnapper From Taking a Car and Its Passengers
This is not the first time Florida church members stepped up to help their community. Earlier this month, First Coast News reported that a man attempted to steal a Nissan Pathfinder with three people inside the vehicle but was foiled after Florida church members stopped him. In Jacksonville, police responded to an incident of someone being held in custody by a citizen.
Florida police saw the vehicle in the parking lot with several doors open. The vehicle was originally parked in front of the church. One of the victims said she was seated on the back seat of the vehicle with two other people when the attempted theft occurred. She also told police that Florida church members had rushed out of the building to subdue Soto Jr. until authorities arrived. He was later charged with three counts of kidnapping, theft of a motor vehicle and resisting an officer without violence.
Related Article: Virginia Church Boosts Security Following Kidnapping Of 2-Year-Old
