7-year-old fights off suspected Walmart kidnap

BREMEN, Ga. - Authorities say a 7-year-old girl recalled her stranger danger training and was able to get away from a parolee who tried to abduct her at a Walmart store in west Georgia.

Police Chief Keith Pesnell says 25-year-old Thomas A. Woods of Austell, Ga., tried to take the girl Wednesday from a toy aisle while her mom was in a different aisle.

Security video from the store shows a man carrying the girl away, releasing her after she struggled to get away.

Pesnell says Woods faces a charge of attempted kidnapping and was out on parole after being convicted of voluntary manslaughter in a suburban Atlanta county.

Atlanta TV station WAGA reports Woods said he is innocent and denied the abduction attempt as he was being led into jail.

[closethippy1]

She escaped, how cute.

[barcar55]

I would like to know why so many people think that the toy isle is the baby-sitter while they shop. I have seen children many times sitting playing alone there. Or to see them disappear from their parents and they have to chase them around the long isles. Instead of reprimanding them they seem to think it is either normal or funny. Wild children running and playing freely unsupervised is not funny. Once saw two little girls in the produce section lying in the floor making all kinds of noise. I alerted the employees so that their family could be located. It should be against the law to leave a child unattended in a store. Sending them alone into a public restroon is also a bad idea. You never know what pervert is lurking in there just waiting for the opportunity. People need to wake up and pay attention.

[MIO42]

I guess the safest place on the planet would be ?

I can only think of " the moon " !

[FACEITT]

I applaud this little warrior for what she did in saving her own life. Did anyone notice that while she was screaming, the mother never did appear? Where the hell was she? I also would like to know why the mother chose that day to go shopping when her kid was supposed to be out of school due to sickness. So is that what you do when you kid is sick? Go shopping!?

I hope the cops do a thorough check in this creep, as I suspect this is not the first child he has snatched and that kid or kids may not have been so lucky. Now that we know what is on his mind and we know he is not going to stop, this punk needs a life w/out sentence so that he never again gets out of jail. If he does, some kid is going to die. Mark my words.

[rwsmith29456]

This would have been ANOTHER tragedy involving a child that I see in the news almost every day. Way to go, little girl. Bite, scream, kick, flail and don't let the monsters get you. I mean the real, two-legged ones.

[moretruthnow]

Nothing wrong with Wal-Mart. If you don't like to shop there fine, but many middle class and plenty of working poor do shop there. Wal-Mart is a great store although it is owned by some greedy republicans.

[KnowerseekerReturns]

Walmart is helping make the Chinese rich and us poor.

[moretruthnow]

I am so proud of this brave young girl who fought for her freedom from this thug and won. Good for her. She may have saved her life.

[smittyc]

The guy was probably a California teacher.

[cockroachcrusher]

No, but you ARE an all-around jackass.

[Lerianis4]

Good for this girl. She did exactly what I told my cousins, friend's children, and other children to do..... yell, scream, rant and rave if someone who you don't know tries to take you anywhere.

[puzzler125]

That little girl may very well have just saved her one life. To the person who trashed Walmart customers? No, I don't shop there, I used to work there and it was a miserable place to work but the salt of the earth shop there and if you think everyone who shops there is trash? You are very wrong.

[Atlanticum]

Very well said.