A 13-year-old at a Miramar Shell gas station fought off a 32-year-old man who attacked and allegedly tried to kidnap them. He was later caught and arrested.
Miami Herald file
A 32-year-old man tried to kidnap a 13-year-old from a Broward gas station Monday, telling them “sexual” and “explicit” things as he attempted to grab them, authorities say. The child fought off the assailant and escaped; the suspect found himself in handcuffs.
Michael Polanco, 32, is facing charges of kidnapping and battery, according to an arrest report. As of Wednesday, he was still in the Broward County Main Jail.
Sometime before 7 p.m. Monday, Polanco was at a Miramar Shell gas station when he came up the child and asked them about scissors, the report read. He then suddenly grabbed the 13-year-old and put them in a headlock.
The child was able to fight off Polanco and run to an adult who had stepped in.
Authorities rushed to the scene and eventually caught Polanco. A witness told officers that he heard Polanco “make provocative sexual and explicit comments” while pulling the child away.
Polanco has an extensive criminal history, court records show, with past charges connected to battery, burglary and exposing himself in public.
“It was very smart of this kid to fight and to break free and to draw attention to the situation and make sure help is available,” Miramar Police Chief Delrish Moss told CBS News Miami. “One thing here is that if they take you from one location to the next location, you don’t know what dastardly things can happen, so you have to run, and you have to fight and draw attention to yourself so you will not be taken away.”
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Miami Herald
Miami Herald Cops and Breaking News Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers a plethora of Florida topics, from breaking news to crime patterns. He was on the breaking news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida, born and raised in Miami-Dade. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office.