A terrifying incident unfolded in Miami’s Little Haiti area, where a 6-year-old girl showed remarkable courage and managed to escape a horrifying abduction attempt. This young girl, named Ah’lyric, utilized the self-defense skills she had learned from her mother to fend off a grown man who approached her while she was playing in the courtyard of her apartment complex on the evening of July 6. The distressing incident began when Ah’lyric and her siblings noticed a suspicious white SUV entering their home’s parking lot.
As Ah’lyric patiently waited for her siblings to return, she suddenly found herself under attack by the stranger. The man grabbed her and attempted to carry her away to his vehicle. However, displaying immense bravery, Ah’lyric fought back vigorously, screaming and striking the assailant multiple times. Her most significant move came when she bit the man with great force, causing him to drop her and flee.
Ah’lyric recounted her ordeal with remarkable composure, stating that she bit the man hard on his arm. Fearlessly, she described how the situation escalated into a kidnapping attempt, asserting that she knew something was wrong because the man had arrived in an unfamiliar white and black car. The girl’s mother, Teshia McGill, expressed her pride in her daughter’s swift reaction and self-defense skills, highlighting that not all children possess such quick thinking abilities.
Surveillance footage captured the arrival of a Range Rover driven by the suspect, later identified as 32-year-old Leonardo Venegas. The video showed Venegas approaching the stairway where Ah’lyric was sitting, and shortly afterward, he was seen running back to his vehicle. Thanks to the license plate information obtained from the footage, authorities identified Venegas, who was subsequently apprehended two days after the alleged incident. While in custody, Venegas attempted to mislead the officers, claiming he was in the area searching for a home, despite no “for sale” signs being posted.
