The officer picks her up while she cries, "I want my daddy!"
It's so hard to watch the footage and imagine what might be going on in the poor little girl's mind. But thankfully, she was unharmed.
The suspect has been identified as 40-year-old Robby Wildt. Officers demanded he get down on the ground. The suspect can be seen in the video on his knees with his hands in the air.
📰🆕Louisville Police Rescue Kidnapped 6-Year-Old Girl! https://t.co/2fe8wW1M5d #rt pic.twitter.com/nTSs0lcKk8
— Drprr (Dripper) (@realhoodfootage) July 9, 2021
The suspect has been charged with kidnapping a minor. His bond has been set at $1 million. Wildt reportedly said that he knew what he did was wrong and was going to take the child back home.
Louisville Metro Police released bodycam footage of officers rescuing a 6-year-old girl after she was kidnapped while playing outside . pic.twitter.com/WpbTUbeETq
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 9, 2021
Officer Jason Burba of the Louisville Metro Police Department told WDRB that the entire police force dropped everything to get to the little girl. “You just can’t get there fast enough,” he said. “Seconds feel like hours. Your only thought is getting there as fast as you can.”
The video of this girl screaming out for daddy will give you chills. https://t.co/1Eb1iTYw2e
— Lexie Ratterman (@LexieRatterman) July 8, 2021
The officers are being praised for the amazing rescue. It wouldn't have been possible, however, if it weren't for the actions of a witness. A neighbor actually saw the suspect's car pull up and the driver grab the child and put her in his car.
Dramatic footage shows officers rescuing kidnapped 6-year-old girl @LBC https://t.co/WIuV4sGLrP
— hexgirl (@hexgirl39) July 9, 2021
Neighbor Prentiss Weatherford said the whole thing happened so quickly, and that within about 15 seconds the kidnapper parked his car, got out, and took the little girl. "He just grabbed her by the collar," he told WHAS-TV.
A 6-year-old Kentucky girl who was snatched from her bicycle by a stranger was found quickly, returned to her family and a suspect was charged with kidnapping thanks to the quick actions of neighbors and police, authorities say. https://t.co/aj3d9DuKhq
— ABC News (@ABC) July 9, 2021
Luckily, witnesses quickly called police. Officers credited those neighbors with giving them a detailed description of the suspect, as well as a partial license plate. That's how they ended up finding the car within 30 minutes.
Those who witnessed the girl being taken from her Louisville neighborhood July 2 swiftly called 911 with a detailed description of the vehicle and a partial license plate number, Police Spokesperson Beth Ruoff told news outlets. https://t.co/aEkqdifUvN
— WDTN (@WDTN) July 9, 2021
Wildt has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
While police say abductions of this sort are rare, it of course raises alarm bells in the community. Police spokesperson Beth Ruoff said, "Although we do not want the community to be alarmed, this is certainly an educational opportunity for parents to remind their children that ‘stranger danger' is real."
