Teen Uses Drink To Escape Attackers

A teenager has some advice for others, after a man grabbed her when she was walking home from work.  The News On 6's crime reporter Lori Fullbright reports the way she escaped was a little unusual.

What saved 16-year-old Tabitha was quick thinking and a drink she was carrying in her hand.  Now, she wants others to know that getting away can be as easy as using whatever you have on you for defense.

Tabitha has a part-time job after school like many 16 year olds.  The restaurant where she works is not far from her home, so she walks until Sunday night around 10 p.m.

"Basically, nothing has happened like this to me before and I thought nothing like this would happen to me.  So, it scared me a lot," said Tabitha.

She says a couple of guys in an older four-door black Cadillac honked and hollered at her and she just waved them off and kept walking, until the passenger jumped out and grabbed her.  She used the only thing she had as a weapon.

"I had a cup in my hand and my intent was to just throw the cup in his face, so I did. I threw the cup in his face and he let me go and I just ran," said Tabitha.

"She was shaking.  She was in tears.  She couldn't speak.  Her whole body was shaking," said her mother, Lanette.

They immediately called police, but finding the men may be tough since Tabitha didn't get that good a look at them.

"She was apologizing to the cops for not getting a better description. They said she didn't need to apologize, she did the right thing and thank God she did.  It scared me.  It really did," said her mother, Lanette.

A study of 403 attempted kidnappings by strangers to see how the victims managed to escape found that 60% of them fought back.  Another 30% ran away before being grabbed and 10% were saved when a nearby adult intervened.

Tabitha hopes other kids who might face something so scary will be as lucky as she is.

"Anything you have in your hand, just use it to fight back," said Tabitha.

Stranger kidnappings are pretty rare, but when they do happen, 80% take place within a quarter mile of the victim's home and most times, they grab the victim from the street or try to lure them into a car.