Acworth attempted abduction: Family of toddler speaks out about Walmart incident
Parents of Acworth attempted abduction victim speak
A 2-year-old boy was nearly abducted by Mahendra Patel inside a Walmart in Cobb County, but the mother successfully intervened, and Patel was later arrested.
ACWORTH, Ga. - A Cobb County family is breathing a sigh of relief after a terrifying encounter inside a Walmart that ended with a 2-year-old boy safe and a suspect in custody.
Police say 56-year-old Mahendra Patel is behind bars after attempting to snatch the toddler from his mother’s arms last week inside the Walmart on Cobb Parkway.
The backstory:
The incident happened on March 18 at the Walmart located at 3105 Cobb Parkway. According to investigators, 56-year-old Mahendra Patel approached a mother in the store and asked her about Tylenol. Witnesses told police that Patel then grabbed her child.
The mother was able to safely pull her child away, and Patel fled the store, authorities said.
Using store surveillance footage and FLOCK camera technology, detectives identified Patel and arrested him three days later. He is being held without bond at the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office.
Patel was arrested and was booked into the Cobb County Jail, charged with kidnapping, simple assault and simple battery. Authorities say they are working with other law enforcement agencies to determine whether Patel may be connected to additional crimes in the area.
What they're saying:
Jeremiah Walker, the child’s father, says his fiancée was shopping with their two children — a 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son Jude — when the incident occurred.
"The guy asked where the Tylenol was and proceeded to grab him, and she pulled back and said, ‘No, no, what are you doing,’" Walker said.
Walker says his family is still shaken but grateful. "She was shaking for an hour after that, physically you could see she was shaking," he said.
He’s now keeping his young son even closer. "Terrifying though — I can't even imagine not having him," Walker said. "Keep them very close."
Walker hopes the experience serves as a reminder for all parents and bystanders to stay alert. "If you see something like that happening, you scream immediately," he said. "You call attention, you call for help and scream as loud as you can. That way if anything were to happen, people are looking, people are paying attention."
What you can do:
Anyone with additional information about the case is urged to contact the Acworth Police Department at 770-974-1232.
The Source: FOX 5's Denise Dillon spoke with Jeremiah Walker and his son about the incident at the Acworth Walmart.