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(GAITHERSBURG, Md.) — An attempted kidnapping at a school bus stop went wrong for one 30-year-old man whose attempt was thwarted by a group of children who came to the defense of one of their classmates.
The incident occurred early Monday morning in Gaithersburg, Maryland — approximately 20 miles north of Washington, D.C. — when several students were standing at a bus stop waiting to be picked up by their school bus when 30-year-old Jamaal Germany allegedly attempted to kidnap one of the students.
“The victim stated that they were standing at the bus stop in the 17600 block of Towne Crest Dr., at approximately 7:20 a.m., when the suspect allegedly grabbed the child and pulled them toward an apartment building,” read a statement from the Montgomery County Police Department following the incident. “Several students who were standing at the bus stop attempted to intervene and the victim was able to break free.”
The suspect’s motives regarding the attempted kidnapping are currently unclear as authorities continue to investigate the incident.
Authorities say that when the school bus arrived, all the students were accounted for and boarded the bus before the incident was reported to school staff. A community engagement officer also responded to the children’s school approximately 30 minutes after the attempted kidnapping incident was reported.
“Through the course of the investigation, detectives identified Germany as the suspect,” said the Montgomery County Police department. “He was arrested and transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit. Bond information is not available at this time.”
Detectives from the Special Victims Investigation Division are asking for anyone who believes that they may have been a victim of Germany to call 240-773-5400.
The investigation is ongoing.
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