A man accused of trying to abduct a teen girl at the Willow Grove Park Mall in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, is now in custody, police said.
Khalilh Evans, 44, of Philadelphia, was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals on Thursday and charged with false imprisonment of a minor.
"This was particularity disturbing, a crime like this," Abington Township Police Chief Patrick Molloy told NBC10. "This is one where your heart skips a beat."
The incident occurred around 7 p.m. Wednesday at the mall, located on 2500 Moreland Road in Montgomery County, Abington Township police said.
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The 14-year-old girl told police she was descending an escalator from the second level to the first level when she was met at the bottom by a man who identified himself as “Alex,” investigators said. The man -- who police said appeared to be at least three times her age -- asked the girl to walk with him and extended his arm, as if escorting her.
The girl told the man she was underage and tried to step away from him, according to police. As she stepped away, the man allegedly grabbed her arm, placed it in his arm and restrained her before leading her across the mall.
The attack was caught on video.
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"As you can see from the video he's basically twisting her wrist," Molloy said, while calling the incident "unambiguous."
Police said the girl escaped the man’s grasp, screamed and ran away. Several witnesses then stepped in and stopped the man from approaching the girl, according to investigators.
Police said the man appeared to be working with a second man. Both men left the mall immediately after the girl fled and were last seen entering a dark gray Dodge or Chrysler minivan or “crossover” type vehicle, possibly a Dodge Journey.
Police said since releasing photos of the suspects Wednesday night, they received a tip that a man fitting the same description used the same name "Alex" while giving his phone number to another 14-year-old.
"This as you could imagine -- being a father -- we have sisters and nieces, I don’t think there's a crime that's more scary than this," Molloy said. "Because God knows what the intentions were of these individuals."
Police also said they received numerous tips from the public stating at least one of the men also approached other young women at the mall and possibly other malls. An 18-year-old woman, who we are not identifying, told NBC10 the two men approached her and her friend shortly after the attempted abduction.
"They grabbed my friend by the arm and was holding her hands like this and stuff," she said.
The young woman said she and her friend gave the men fake phone numbers and were able to get away.
During the investigation, police identified one of the suspects as Evans.
Investigators said Evans went to his attorney's office in Media, Delaware County, and surrendered to U.S. Marshals on Thursday. He was transported back to Abington Township and will be arraigned by a judge. Evans was wearing a "security" uniform while being escorted by police. It's unclear at this time if he worked as a security guard.
Molloy said Evans was on probation at the time of the incident and has a "28 page rap sheet" that includes numerous weapons offenses as well as charges of aggravated assault and terroristic threats.
While announcing Evans' arrest, Molloy blamed the "failed policies in Philadelphia."
“I think some of the failed policies in Philadelphia with the District Attorney’s Office, where it’s somewhat of a revolving door, where dangerous felons are let back onto the street to prey upon our citizens," he said. "And this is a particularly disturbing case because these are innocent children. This shouldn’t have happened. He should’ve been detained. He should’ve been in jail. And I know there’s a lot of things that go into those decisions on why people are back on the street. But this here is a disgrace. We need to do a better job. The system failed.”
NBC10 reached out to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office for a response to Molloy's comments as well as Evans' lawyer. We have not yet heard back from them.
The second man who police initially believed was working with Evans during the attempted abduction is still under investigation, according to Molloy. Police said they are still trying to determine his exact role in the incident. He has not been charged as police continue to investigate.
Following Evans' arrest, NBC10 obtained a statement from the owner of the Willow Grove Park Mall.
"As always the safety and security of our shoppers is a top priority," the owner wrote. "We were pleased to learn that one of the suspects was apprehended and we will continue to cooperate with the Abington PD in their investigation. We are thankful to both bystanders and authorities for their prompt reaction."
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