Teen thwarts possible kidnapping of girl
By Shomari Stone & KOMO StaffOLYMPIA, Wash. -- Serenity LaChapelle was working the counter at a local McDonald's two weeks ago when she realized something was amiss. LaChapelle, 18, spotted a man trying to chat up an 8-year-old girl. "The guy walked up to her and grabbed her shoulder and he said 'I know you.' And she said 'I don't know you. I don't know you.; And then he kept doing it and she looked at me, and she was really scared," said LaChapelle. So LaChapelle reached over the counter and pushed the man's hand away from the girl. "After that, he yanked on her really hard," she said. But LaChapelle was not going to back down. She lifted the girl and her nearby brother over the counter and called police. The man then fled. "I was scared when it was happening," LaChapelle said. "It's just reflexes to take care of someone younger than you." Police caught up with the man, Richard Knauss, two miles away. He is being held for investigation of second-degree kidnapping. The little girl's mother said she could not be more thankful someone was there to watch out for her little girl. "I'm real happy. I'm real happy, especially for a stranger to step in and don't know anything about me or her," said Sheila Brown. Brown said snow had delayed her from picking up her children on time, so she told them to go wait at the restaurant until she could get to them. "She did a very heroic and responsible act," Brown said of LaChapelle. In addition to Brown, many have praised LaChapelle for her courage and quick-thinking. But to the humble teenager herself, the praises feel excessive. "I'm happy nothing happened to her. It's kind of weird having someone call me a hero, though," she said. |
Weather & Traffic
Current Temp
63.0 °F
Mostly Cloudy
Weather & TrafficNew: Upload directly from your mobile device. Learn how 
Resources and info you need to prepare for the switch to DTV. Stay ConnectedYouNews
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled.
Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
|
Most Popular
|
140 Fourth Ave. North, Suite 370,
