A grandfather is describing the valiant fight his daughter put up to keep a man from kidnapping her 2-year-old son.
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It happened inside the Acworth Walmart as the mother was shopping with her two small kids.
Norman Miller says his daughter told her family how she had to fight the man off.
“And my daughter just wrapped her arms and just fought. Said, ‘No, no, no,’” the grandfather said to Channel 2′s Tom Jones.
Miller says it wasn’t easy for his daughter to stop the man from kidnapping his grandson.
“Very much so a struggle. It was very forceful. She said he put a lot of strength into it, and she was not letting go,” he said.
Acworth police say it was 56-year-old Mahendra Patel who tried to kidnap Miller’s grandson March 18 at the Walmart at 3105 Cobb Parkway North.
Officers say this all began with Patel asking the mother, who also was with her 4-year-old child, something that didn’t seem out of the ordinary at first.
“He did ask where Tylenol was in the store,” Sgt. Eric Mistretta said.
Officers say Patel then tried to grab the 2-year-old from his mother’s arms.
“My daughter had to put both hands around my grandson,” Miller described.
Police say Patel gave up and left. They say he paid for some Tylenol with a credit card, and that’s how officers got his name.
Officers say surveillance cameras captured the incident, captured Patel’s car leaving the scene, and Flock cameras helped them locate him days later. That’s when he was arrested.
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Miller says police wouldn’t have had to do all that work if Walmart security had stopped Patel before he left the store.
“Somebody certainly should have been watching the cameras,” he said.
He’s happy his grandchildren and daughter are OK. Miller says Patel is right where he needs to be - In jail.
“Anybody that would do that doesn’t need to back among the public to try it again,” he said.
Patel is in the Cobb County Jail on kidnapping, simple assault and simple battery charges.
Miller says his grandchildren were not injured. He knows this could have ended badly, but the grandfather says police did an amazing job of tracking Patel and getting him into custody.
He says he is so appreciative for their efforts.
He is urging parents to be on the lookout for predators, even when shopping. He says do not let your guard down and think you are safe.
He also says contact police right away if you see anyone, or anything, suspicious.
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