Man arrested for attempted kidnapping of teen at Willow Grove Park Mall in Montgomery County
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ABINGTON >> A Philadelphia man has been arrested and charged in the attempted abduction of a 14-year-old female from the Willow Grove Park Mall around 7 p.m. July 12.
Courtesy of Abington Township Police Department
Khalilh Evans (Courtesy of Abington Township Police Department)
Khalilh Jafar Evans, 44, of the 1500 block of Kinsdale Street, was taken into custody July 13, with the assistance of the Philadelphia police and U.S. Marshal’s Office, according to an Abington police news release. He has been charged with false imprisonment of a minor, a second-degree felony, and harassment.
The teenage victim told police after she came down an escalator from the second level to the first level, she was met at the bottom by an adult male who introduced himself as “Alex” and asked the girl to walk with him, extending his arm in an effort to escort her, police said. The girl told the male she was underage and attempted to step away from him, at which point the male grabbed her arm, placed it in his arm and restrained her, as he led her across the mall, police said.
At some point the girl was able to escape the male’s grasp, screamed and fled from him, police said. Several bystanders who witnessed the incident stepped in to prevent the male from approaching the female juvenile, police said.
The male, later identified as Evans, appeared to be working in concert with a second male, police said. The two males left the mall immediately after the girl fled and were seen entering a dark gray Dodge/Chrysler minivan or crossover type vehicle.
The second male has not yet been charged, police said, and an investigation is continuing.
Evans was arraigned Thursday night and taken to Montgomery County Prison on $25,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 26.
According to online court records, Evans was charged by Cheltenham police with burglary, loitering and prowling at night, and criminal trespass in a March 1, 2019 incident. The case is listed as active.