PEMBROKE PARK, FLA. (WSVN) - A man accused of attempting to lure a teenager into his home was arrested and faced a judge.
George Pratt, 65, appeared in court on Monday morning and is charged with attempted kidnapping and battery.
Pratt, police said, tried to pull a 13-year-old neighbor into his home in Pembroke Park, Saturday.
According to police, another neighbor witnessed, Christopher Williams, saw Pratt grabbing the victim and tried to intervene by asking Pratt for a beer.
According to Williams, Pratt kept telling the victim forcefully to go inside his apartment.
“It was just weird,” said Williams.
“I asked him what they were up to, kind of to distract him a little bit,” Williams said. “I asked him if he had another beer, just to deescalate the situation.”
“As the young man turned around he gave me a look, it was just a look of fear. That’s when something said I need to intervene,” said Williams.
While inside Pratt’s home, the neighbor noticed Pratt reaching for a handgun. A brief struggle between Pratt and the neighbor ensued, which allowed the victim to escape.
“As I looked in the fridge, he ran towards the door, closed the door shut, and reached for a firearm,” said Williams. “As he grabbed the firearm, I ran over, grabbed his wrist, restrained his arm from, you know, just him being able to put the firearm in a ready position to fire, and as I grabbed his wrist to restrain the firearm, I told the kid to run home.”
The neighbor was able to push the gun away and exit the apartment.
The teen ran home who told his parents. They then called the police.
“He’s a little shaken but he’s fine,” said Breanna Harden, mother of the victim.
She said she’s happy Pratt was arrested but is afraid for when he gets out of jail.
During his court hearing, Eric Linder, an assistant attorney, recounted that incident.
“For some reason, when the neighbor was in the home, Mr. Pratt grabbed the firearm, and law enforcement confirmed it by finding the firearm,” he said. “I don’t know, frankly, what his intentions were for trying to pull this 13-year-old child into his home against the child’s will, but I think it is cause for concern.”
Williams said he is also still a bit shaken up, but is happy to know that the child is OK.
“People just tell me that I was in the right place at the right time to help somebody else, and I’m truly glad that I was able to help the young man,” he said.
Williams said that when police were questioning that 13-year-old, there was another child that said that Pratt attempted to do the same thing to him.
It is unclear if this has happened before, but police have been made aware of that.
Pratt is being held on a $76,000 bond. Additionally, if he posts bond he is not allowed within 500 feet of the alleged victim.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.