A man in Ohio has been arrested after home surveillance footage showed him trying to abduct a six-year-old girl, ABC's Good Morning America has reported.
Ken'Adi Nash was helping her parents with the household chores by taking the trash out when a man grabbed her in an apparent attempted kidnapping - all right outside her home.
Nash, who narrowly escaped the dangerous situation, told Good Morning America on Friday: "This guy walks by and he touched me. He pulled me."
Luckily, the brave young girl reacted quickly by screaming to draw attention to the assailant. "He just let go of me because I screamed," she said.
The 10-second incident, which occurred mere feet from Nash's home, was fortunately captured by the family's Ring doorbell camera. After breaking free from the perpetrator's grip, Nash ran inside and immediately alerted her parents.
Speaking to CNN, Nash's mom, Mandie Miller, recalled: "She came in with a blood-curling scream, she ran into the living room she said, 'mommy someone tried to take me, he touched my private parts' [...] I went outside and saw him walking down the sidewalk."
Miller and Nash's father, Ricky Nash, called 911 and ran after the perpetrator, with Nash's father eventually jumping into his car to continue the chase.
"He wouldn't have let go of her if she wouldn't have pulled and screamed like she did [...] I chased him like he still had my kid," Ricky Nash said, before adding he "definitely didn't want him to be able to go snatch another kid," per Good Morning America.
A 33-year-old man named Deric McPherson was apprehended and later arrested by police in relation to the incident. He was eventually charged with inappropriate grabbing and abduction.
Mandie and Ricky told GMA that they were "still shaken" from the incident, saying: "It's forever etched in our minds — that scream. So it'll always be with us."
The six-year-old's mother also told the morning news network that she has taught all four of her daughters to scream in the event of an attack, and commended her brave daughter on her snap reaction to the horrifying incident.
"I'm so proud of her. So proud of her," Mandie Nash said during the interview. "Because as soon as she screamed, he let go. So obviously, you know, it does work."
Miller has sought counselling for Ken'Adi in the wake of the incident, and the family is apparently looking into moving house on the youngster's request.
CNN has reported that McPherson is in county jail awaiting trial on a 5th degree felony abduction charge.
