‘NEVER GIVE UP’

Video Shows 11-Year-Old Florida Girl Fighting Off 30-Year-Old Man’s Kidnapping Attempt

Authorities in Florida say the suspect, who has been arrested, is believed to have a history of sexual offenses against children.

When a 30-year-old man sprinted toward an 11-year-old girl in an alleged attempt to kidnap her in Florida on Tuesday morning, he probably didn’t expect to have a fight on his hands. But an extraordinary video of the incident shows that the girl managed to tackle her alleged attacker and then run to safety. According to the Pensacola News Journal, the attempted abduction happened at a school bus stop in Escambia County while the girl was playing with a blue slime toy. Later Tuesday, when deputies arrested their suspect—Jared Paul Stanga—his arms were covered in a blue stains. Stanga has been charged with attempted kidnapping of a child, aggravated assault, and battery. Sheriff Chip Simmons said the suspect is believed to have a history of sexual offenses against children, and the sheriff paid tribute to the girl’s tenacity: “I cannot help to think that this could have ended very different had this 11-year-old victim not thought to fight, and to fight, and to just never give up,” he said. “This could have ended terribly.”