Miami 6-year-old girl fights off would-be kidnapper by biting him, suspect arrested

A quick-thinking Miami girl saved herself from being abducted outside her home by biting the would-be kidnapper, causing him to flee the scene. Ah'lyric, 6, said she learned the tactic from her mother.

The suspect, 32-year-old Leonardo Venegas, was tracked down and arrested. He has been charged with kidnapping and child abuse causing no great bodily harm.



According to NBC, the incident took place on July 6 at an apartment complex on the 6500 block of Northeast 2nd Avenue in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood.

Ah'lyric and her siblings had been playing in their yard when a white Range Rover pulled up near the gate. The rest of her crew went back inside, but she stayed out on the stairs. A few minutes later, she was grabbed by Venegas and hauled away. 

After her attempts to wriggle free, Ah'lyric bit Venegas' arm, causing him to drop her. He proceeded to slap her in the face and flee the scene. 

Using the license plate on the Range Rover, authorities were able to track Venegas down and arrest him two days later. 

As NBC reports, Venegas claimed he had been apartment hunting that day, and started running when he heard someone scream. When pressed on whether he had tried to abduct Ah'lyric, he demanded a lawyer.

Miami Police Capt. Freddie Cruz said the case had authorities "extremely worried," noting that such an incident was "not very common" in the area.
 

"If you're going to be playing outside, which is a wonderful thing, please, try to play in groups," he advised. "Try to have an adult present, some sort of supervision, know where your children [are], or if you're a guardian, know where they are at."

Ah'lyric's mother, Teshia McGill, said she was glad her daughter "knew how to fight back," and sent a message to other parents to "protect your kids and look over them, keep a close eye on them, cause anything can happen in the blink of an eye."