A person allegedly tried to kidnap an toddler from their babysitter whereas they had been strolling alongside a busy path on Thursday, in response to witnesses.

The person—recognized as 31-year-old Declarence McGhee—allegedly approached a lady, who was babysitting the toddler, alongside Atlanta's Beltline close to Ponce de Leon Avenue at about 11 a.m., native tv information station WGCL-TV reported.

McGhee then started shouting at her earlier than he tried to grab the newborn's stroller away from her. The 2 fought over the stroller for a while earlier than bystanders jumped in to assist defend the newborn, the information station reported.

The girl was ultimately capable of take management of the stroller, whereas the bystanders, safety guards and an off-duty police officer held McGhee down till police arrived to the scene, in response to WGCL.

Man tries to kidnap infant from babysitter
A person recognized as Declarence McGhee allegedly tried to kidnap an toddler from their babysitter whereas they had been strolling alongside a busy path on Thursday. Above, an Atlanta police cruiser is seen in July 2019.Raymond Boyd/Getty Pictures

One witness, Arthur Harden, was engaged on landscaping close by. He stated he heard the lady, who has not been recognized, screaming. He famous that he "could not consider" that this might occur "within the broad daylight."

"Some bikers had been developing the sidewalk and intervened—ran them away from her," he informed the information station. "They got here to the rescue for her. There are Good Samaritans on the market."

The tried abduction left some households reconsidering security measures alongside the walkway.

One father, noting his son "likes to run round and simply go up and down the steps," known as the assault "eye-opening," including, "We most likely ought to maintain them a little bit nearer."

McGhee has been charged with tried kidnapping and easy battery. He's being held in Fulton County Jail, and no person was injured through the incident.

The girl and little one haven't been publicly recognized by police. A motive for the assault has additionally not been launched, and it remained unknown if McGhee had any relationship to the kid or their household.

The Beltline is a walkway and lightweight transit rail positioned in downtown Atlanta. The tried kidnapping occurred on a well-liked stretch close to a brewery, the station reported.

Although kidnapping stays uncommon, it does occur from time-to-time. From 2010 to 2017, a median of lower than 350 youngsters had been kidnapped, although family-related abductions stay extra frequent, in response to Reuters.

In March, a 5-year-old woman was believed to have simply been kidnapped when the automotive she was in crashed right into a pond throughout a police chase in Jacksonville, Florida. She was later discovered on the backside of the pond. Police believed the lady driving the automotive and the 5-year-old had been identified to one another.

Late final 12 months in Atlanta, a 3-year-old woman was kidnapped by her father, who didn't have custody of her, with out consent in November. She was safely returned residence to her household simply days earlier than Christmas.

Newsweek reached out to the Atlanta Police Division for remark.