When we think of our kids and their safety, there isnโt anything that scares a parent more than child abduction. In a world plagued with bad news, itโs all too easy to get worked up over things that might never happen. Still, there is nothing wrong with being prepared and knowing what to do in an emergency.
For one 9-year-old girl in Pittsburgh, that internal confidence allowed her to turn a tragedy into a story of heroism.
A young girl named Dezi has recently been hailed as a hero after escaping from a man who attempted to abduct her.
Dezi is a 9-year-old girl who lives near Pittsburgh, attending school in Coraopolis each day. While waiting for her bus to come, however, a typical day turned into an emergency. Dezi was having a normal morning at her bus stop when a man began to watch her from a distance.
โI just remember standing there and turning around and I saw him. But itโs sort of normal because of people always walking up and down that street,โ the 9-year-old told KDKA.
Although she was a bit worried, Dezi calmly waited for the bus to arrive, despite the staring man.
Finally, the bus was visible down the road, but disaster still struck. As she was standing there, the man grabbed her from behind and attempted to take her down the street. Incredibly, the little girl responded with the wisdom of an adult.
โI saw the bus already coming up, so I automatically saw (the driver,) and I threw my head back and his hand slipped off my mouth,โ Dezi shared. โBut he had his hand on my back too and so I got my head twisted and got direct eye contact with the bus driver.โ
Twisting away in a quick movement, she was able to break free and get the attention of the bus driver.
Once the driver realized what was happening, they called out Deziโs name and the man took off running. His mistake, however, was looking back! Dezi was able to quickly look and identify a few key features.
โHe kept turning to look at me over and over again so I just literally got all the information I could,โ Dezi told KDKA. โAnd I just remember little black design on his red pants, a big white puffy jacket.โ
Using that description, police were able to track down the man, William Gorring.
โThis individual, through the clothing description, I saw prior that day and who was known to me through a small community and knowing everybody in the community,โ Chief Denbow explained.
With Deziโs description, the offender was put behind bars without bail. In a terrifying confession, he admitted he had planned on hurting the girl.
Thankfully her quick thinking allowed her to escape and lock him away. She was very grateful that sheโd been taught what to do in a situation like she was in.
When the community heard the story, they were shocked at the heroism of Dezi!
โShe is truly the hero of the story. She reacted very well for the situation she fought, and she fought until she got free and was able to get free and then immediately notified the school bus driver,โ Superintendent Kearns said.
He also shared the following tips with the news outlet:
โThe kid should always be aware of their surroundings, they should be wary of anything that appears out of order, any suspicious behavior, and immediately notify an adult if they feel uncomfortable. And if they should find themselves in a situation like this girl was, fight, kick, scream and do what you have to do to get away.โ
Although some stories are scary, this is an example of a determined girl who knew what she had to do!
Check out the video below to hear Dezi talk about what happened that day for yourself!
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