Bodycam footage shows brave officer rescue six-year-old allegedly kidnapped by stranger

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By VT

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A brave officer rescuing a distraught six-year-old girl who had been allegedly kidnapped by a stranger was caught on a bodycam.

It was reported on July 2 that a stranger pulled up and got out of his vehicle in Valley Station, Louisville, before grabbing a little girl from her bicycle.

The stranger subsequently threw her into the car by the collar and drove away.

A father and son who witnessed the ordeal immediately got into their own car and began following the kidnapper as they called 911.

Watch the dramatic bodycam footage of the moment the suspect is confronted below: 

Officer Beth Ruoff of Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) told The Epoch Times that they were able to give police "a very detailed" account of the event.

This included a description of the red Dodge Challenger and its driver as well as partially deciphering a license plate.

Several officers were then dispatched from the LMPD’s third division, according to the statement, and K9 and airborne units followed to help with the rescue.

Officer Jason Burba and Sergeant Joe Keeling were able to get the young girl back where she belonged within half an hour.

Officer Burba's bodycam footage shows him running toward the alleged kidnapper's car, opening the door, and rescuing the crying child.

As she held onto her rescuer, the girl wept: "I want my Daddy!"

She was reunited with her family shortly after making this heartbreaking statement.

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Credit: Louisville Metro Police Department

The suspect was taken into custody and charged with kidnapping a minor, but he pled not guilty, WAVE 3 News reported.

He is now being held on a $1 million bond.

"It's like the world stops… every second feels like hours," Officer Burba told Wave 3 News of the rescue.

He explained that because the passenger window of the car was so dark, he had no idea what he would find when he opened it.

The LMPD's incident report shared with The Epoch Times revealed that the suspect had no relationship or connection with the girl.

Featured image credit: Alamy / Stephen Barnes/Law and Order