POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – When a man attempted to kidnap a 13-year-old middle school student Wednesday, the teenager said she found a strength she never knew she had.
"I just knew," the teen, who did not want to be identified, told Local 10 news. "My instinct was to just run away and scream."
Some quick thinking, along with the teen’s large backpack, may have saved her life after she was confronted by a stranger, while walking on a sidewalk near Pompano Beach High School.
Investigators said the driver of a tan SUV stopped and asked the teen if she was walking home. She told Local 10 News reporter Andrew Perez that she ignored the man's calls because she didn't know him.
She said the man then turned around and stopped his vehicle.
The man then approached the girl from behind and grabbed her without warning.
"I was, like, pulling his wrists, like, away from each other and that's when, like, I guess, he gave up, and I kept running and he went back to his car," the teen said.
The teen's large large backpack, which was filled with books, prevented the man from getting a good enough grip on her.
Surveillance video shows the teen running past a day care, and she kept running until she reached her aunt’s house. The teen was in tears when she arrived.
"She fought for her life, and she beat him," Carol, the teen’s aunt, said. "And now all we have to do is catch him."
Broward Sheriff's Office deputies released a sketch of the would-be kidnapper. As of Monday night, tips had been pouring into the BSO, although an arrest hadn't been made.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 954-321-4240 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477. A reward of up to $3,000 is being offered for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.