A man in Georgia who was allegedly savagely assaulting a youngster was held at gunpoint by a bystander until the authorities arrived.
According to reports, a 67-year-old man and a young child were in a car in the parking lot at Walmart in Warner Robins, which is about 90 miles from Atlanta. The man allegedly forcefully yanked the youngster from the vehicle, and the child began to yell.
A Walmart Auto patron was having his car serviced with an oil change when he reportedly heard the screaming and spotted the man and child. He said he witnessed the man forcefully taking the youngster into the wooded area surrounding the lot. He also reported that he heard the child begging the man not to hit him.
The bystander had a pistol with him, and after retrieving it he followed the sounds until he located the man and child.
When he walked up to them, he reported that the man was holding the youngster on the ground by the throat and strangling him.
The man with the gun pointed it at the suspected child abuser, and the authorities were notified. He held the man at gunpoint in the interim.
Officers with the Warner Robins Police Department arrived, and during their initial investigation of the situation, they believed that the incident involved an attempted kidnapping.
The man was taken into custody for aggravated assault and cruelty toward a child. Though the authorities first suspected it, after confirming that the youngster was a family member the police did not believe the incident involved a kidnapping.
It was reported that the child was taken to the Houston County Sheriff’s Office’s Juvenile Department.
The man who intervened gave a statement to news outlets and said he believes the child would have been murdered if he had not acted.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a criminal offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.