A mother was forced to fight back after a man tried to abduct her child in front of her at a Dollar General store in Citrus County.
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Surveillance cameras in a Dollar General store, in Florida’s Citrus County, have captured the moment when suspect Craig Bonello entered the shop and grabbed a 13-year-old girl.
Investigators don’t know why Bonello went after the girl.
Police named the suspect as Craig Bonello, 30, after an off-duty officer apprehended him outside the store by blocking Bonello’s vehicle.
Bonello appeared to be pushing a shopping cart loaded with goods when he circled around an aisle and suddenly grabbed the teenager, whose name is being withheld.
Investigators don’t know why Bonello went after the girl.
A store clerk, a mother and a quick-thinking deputy are being credited for saving a teenager.
“This certainly supports the reason why we let deputies take their vehicles home”, added Capt. Grant. “We are very fortunate that the mother had that motherly instinct and did what she did”.
Police say the would-be kidnapper, 30-year-old Craig Bonello, has been arrested multiple times.
“Behnen is a bona fide hero today”, said Capt. Ricky Grant, who was also at the scene. She says she can understand the panic that mother must have felt. She started ran after him and screamed as he tried to drag her daughter away. “Thank goodness Dep. Behnen was there to catch Bonello before he got away”.
The intentions of Bonello as of yet are not known.
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Screaming could be heard throughout the store as the suspect and the mother got into a tug-of-war over the girl. An attorney listed as representing Bonello in the trespassing case did not immediately return an email Tuesday evening. “He won’t be getting out anytime soon to do this again”. Thankfully, the child was saved and no one suffered any injuries during the incident.
