Mum Fights Off Man Who Tried to Kidnap Her Teenage Daughter

 A mother fought off a man who tried to kidnap her teenage daughter inside a store in Florida in the US.

The mother, who was not identified, made the desperate move after a 30-year-old man, identified as Craig Bonello, grabbed her 13-year-old daughter right under her nose while they were shopping inside the Citrus County Dollar General Store in Hernando, Florida on Tuesday morning.

The incident was caught on the store’s surveillance camera which shows Mr Bonello walking around the store without any groceries or bags when he makes a lunge for the teen. In the scuffle, he knocks the teenager to the ground and drags her by the arm towards the exit.

However, the mother holds onto her daughter as she swings at the man, hitting him several times to force him to let go. The man then flees from the store, but was arrested by off-duty officer, Deputy Jonathan Behnen, who just happened to be arriving at the supermarket and was in the parking lot.

The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office posted the video on its Facebook page, which had garnered more than two million views. Sergeant Craig Callahan from Citrus County deputies told NBC News that the man really intended to abduct the teenager right in front of everyone in the store.

Dollar General spokesman Dan MacDonald said in an interview that no employees had been hurt.

Mr Bonello faces abuse and attempted kidnapping charges. The sheriff’s office records also show that Mr Bonello was arrested for trespassing at a Walmart store in February. He has several other arrests for misdemeanours since 2009, but none relate to abduction. He is also not a registered sex offender.

He is scheduled to be arraigned on June 27, according to the Citrus County Courthouse.

Source: Canberratimes.com.au, 9news.com.au and News.com.au