This dad protected his daughter from a kidnаpper by knоcking out the сriminal
After saving his 3-year-old daughter and knocking out her abductor, a local father was hailed as a hero.
On a Sunday night in 2018, Freddie Cantrell’s two young daughters were playing with their mother and stepfather at the Regional Park, which is directly across the street from his home.
He recalled receiving a phone call from his ex-wife saying, «Hey, you need to get down here quick.» Someone attempted to kidnap Aubrey.»
Their 6-year-old daughter was present throughout the incident.
«The guy came up and started dragging Aubrey and running with her and skipping with her,» Natalie, the young girl, explained.
Cantrell began running towards the mom and stepdad from the other side of the park as they started running in the direction of the suspect.
«He tried to swing at me with his handcuffs wrapped around his fingers, as if they were brass knuckles, and that’s when I just took action and tried to knock him out,» Cantrell said.
Following the arrest of the citizen, Placer County deputies responded quickly and arrested Yonel Hernandez-Velasco, 26, for attempted kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon.
The unfortunate incident served as a reminder that children should not be left alone to play.
«You see the bad stuff on the news and hope it doesn’t happen to your kids, so you just have to keep an eye out,» April McGuinness, a mother and neighbor who lives nearby and witnessed the incident, said.
Cantrell claimed that instincts took over without hesitation or fear.
«‘Oh, you’re a hero for saving that little girl,’ they say.» «That little girl is my daughter, and I’m just doing my fatherly duty,» he explained.
Hernandez-Velasco was taken to the hospital for a medical examination before being transferred to Auburn Prison.
