Michigan
Man wanted to kidnap his sister: 13-year-old beats kidnapper with slingshot to flee
At a distance of 60 meters, the boy hit the kidnapper twice (symbol image)
© peterkai / Getty Images
When a man tried to drag his sister into the woods, a 13-year-old reacted with the presence of mind: he drove the kidnapper away with a slingshot. According to the police, he could have saved his sister’s life.
It was just a small gift: A few years ago, Owen Burns got a slingshot from his mother. The gun, which was actually more than a child’s toy, cost only three dollars. Money very well invested – because the 13-year-old from the US state of Michigan used the slingshot to prevent his sister from being kidnapped.
While he was in his room playing the Playstation, Owen heard his sister screaming from the garden. At first he thought she was just fooling around with her friends, but when he looked out the window, he saw an unidentified man covering the eight-year-old’s mouth and trying to drag her into the wooded area behind the house. The teenager reacted quickly and with the presence of mind: he grabbed his slingshot and hit the kidnapper several times with stones at a distance of about 60 meters, causing him to flee.
Hits with the slingshot to the head and chest
Police in Alpena Township, a small town of 8,000 people, believe the 13-year-old prevented a serious crime. “I believe he either saved his sister’s life or at least prevented something bad from happening to her,” Lieutenant John Grimshaw said at a press conference. He praised the boy’s efforts as “extraordinary” and suggested him for an award.
Owen Burns and his family actually live in a quiet neighborhood where “kidnapping doesn’t usually happen,” according to his mother. Luckily, her son proved accurate with his slingshot. First he hit the kidnapper in the head, then in the chest. “He swore,” Owen told the Washington Post.
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Police arrest suspect
Even his mother couldn’t believe at first that he had hit the attacker at such a great distance. She thought he was just showing off. Owen then chased the man with a baseball bat, but couldn’t catch him.
The police have now arrested a 17-year-old as a suspected perpetrator. The suspect had injuries consistent with the slingshot hits. He is charged with kidnapping and attempted assault.
Sources: “Washington Post” / NBC News
Watch the video: Dramatic footage shows a hostage escaping from her year-long captivity. The woman arrives at a gas station just seconds before her alleged tormentor.