What started as a fun family outing to Coney Island took a frightening turn when an alleged kidnapper attempted to grab a six-year-old boy on a busy Brooklyn street. And the horrifying ordeal, and what happened afterwards, was all caught on camera.
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Rah’Shem “Rah’Rah” Gantt, his parents, and his younger sister were trying to buy popcorn before heading home after a July 6 trip to the beloved boardwalk. But while they were waiting, a man wearing all black picked the boy up and tried to escape with him through the crowd. Rah'Shem let out a scream, which alerted his parents. They immediately sprang into action, chasing the man into traffic while witnesses stayed with their children.
Rah'Shem's parents held the man down until police arrived on the scene a short while later. The 36-year-old suspect, who authorities believe has mental health issues, was charged with assault and attempted kidnapping, according to the New York Post.
Rah'Shem's mother, Sharon Robinson, said the suspect threw her son to the ground when he realized she was coming after him.
"When he saw me coming, he ran, and he slammed my son on the ground. I took off running after this guy because he could not, he will not, he cannot get away," she told ABC 7 New York.
Robinson told the New York Post that she is grateful she heard her son's cries and was able to save him before something bad happened.
“If Rah’Rah hadn’t made that loud scream, that man would have taken him and done whatever he wanted to do with him, maybe take him under the boardwalk and rape him and kill him," she said.
Roy Gantt, Rah'Shem's father, added that he hopes the suspect will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
See the video here.
"He deserves whatever comes to him for what he did to my child," said Rah'Shem's father, he told ABC 7 New York.
For his part, Rah'Shem is glad to be safe with his parents, telling ABC 7 New York that the entire event was terrifying.
"It was scary," he said. "I didn't like it."
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