After attempting to kidnap a girl getting off a school bus in Stafford, Virginia, deputies say a man barricaded himself for five hours during a standoff with authorities before being arrested Friday night.
Deputies say the suspect, Steven Williams, 34, grabbed the girl and put her in his car but she was able to escape.
The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office says a 9-year-old girl was approached by a stranger asking for directions just before 3 p.m. Friday after she got off a school bus on Basswood Drive.
“That subject grabbed her and carried her into his vehicle and placed her inside the passenger compartment and closed the door,” said Major Shawn Kimmitz, who is the commander of the operations bureau.
“As he went around to the driver’s side of the vehicle to enter the vehicle, that brave child was able to open the passenger door and flee to safety.”
Authorities say the suspect drove off while what’s described as an “all hands on deck” investigation began. Tips flooded into the sheriff’s office and around 9 p.m. deputies tried to serve a warrant to Williams at a home just a few miles away from the incident.
Kimmitz said Williams barricaded himself inside the home and wouldn’t come out.
“We began to use some chemical munitions but the subject still refused to exit,” Kimmitz said.
After about five hours, a K-9 named Titan was deployed and Williams was taken into custody without any further incident. He’s being charged with abduction.
