A man is in custody following a violent incident involving a 6-year-old boy in Coney Island, Brooklyn.
Police say they responded to a call of a child being pushed by a man just before 10 p.m. Sunday night at Stillwell and Surf avenues. His parents, however, say a lot more than that happened.
A family outing went terribly wrong
A family of four said they were finishing up a night out and were on their way to get popcorn when the unthinkable took place.
Cellphone video shows the suspect, identified as 36-year-old Jonathan Robalino, picking up Rah’shem Gantt and walking off with him at the corner of Surf and Stillwell. Judah Robinson, the boy’s mother, and her husband, Roy Gantt, were seen running after the man.
“He slammed him on to the ground and he hit his head on the concrete,” Robinson said. “We had to run after him. We almost got hit by a car.”
“He came out of nowhere,” Gantt said of the suspect. “I was in awe. I was in disbelief.”
Robinson rubbed ointment on Rah’shem’s knees as he recovered from scratches and a bump on the head following the frightening altercation.
“He’s rambunctious. He likes to be free. He ran behind me on our way to the Williams Candy Shop and that’s when the man grabbed him,” Robinson said.
CBS News New York showed Robinson the video.
“I still can’t even believe it. I still can’t believe it. This looks like something out of a horror movie,” she said.
Rah’shem said he remembered the stranger grabbing him.
“The man threw me on the ground and the police came,” he said, adding the ordeal was “scary.”
Guardian Angels knew of the suspect “for years”
At that moment, Guardian Angel Jose Gonzales, who is assigned to Coney Island, was coming off the boardwalk and quickly learned who the suspect was.
“He has been in the area for years. We never thought he would do anything as crazy as that,” Gonzales said. “We are increasing our patrols, especially for a situation like that.”
Robalino is now facing several charges, including attempted kidnapping.
“You have to watch your kids, if they like to explore and move fast,” Robinson said. “If you think this can’t happen to you, it can happen.”
CBS News
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