A Florida man arrested by authorities is accused of trying to kidnap a child from a Lehigh Acres Walmart store on Friday.
Pablo Pintueles Hernandez was charged with false imprisonment of a child 13 years old and under, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Police say that Pintueles Hernandez grabbed a 4-year-old boy and pulled him away from his family before a relative quickly intervened.
“Deputies immediately reviewed the surveillance footage and confirmed an unknown man walked up to the child shopping with his family, grabbed his wrist, and forced him to go in his direction before a family member intervened and pulled the child back,” the Lee County Sheriff’s Office explained on Facebook, attaching the disturbing footage to its post.
BELOVED FLORIDA MAILMAN KILLED IN HIT-AND-RUN, POLICE SEARCH FOR SUSPECT
“Through investigative techniques, detectives learned Pintueles Hernandez did grab the child’s wrist, pull him, and state ‘let’s go,’ restraining the child’s movement and directing him to walk with him,” police added.
Officers arrived at Pintueles Hernandez’s residence around an hour after the attempted kidnapping occurred and promptly arrested him.
FLORIDA MAN SHOOTS, KILLS HALF-BROTHER WHO WAS LOOKING FOR LOST CELL PHONE ON CHRISTMAS
In a statement, Sheriff Carmine Marceno called the incident “incredibly disturbing.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I never want anyone in Lee County to feel unsafe, especially going on a simple shopping trip,” Marceno said. “My team will stop at NOTHING to ensure criminals like this face the consequences of their actions.”
