Manchester shoppers tackle man who tried to snatch girl

Manchester shoppers tackle man who tried to snatch girl

Shoppers have told of the horrifying moment a 'stranger' snatched a five-year-old girl from her screaming mother outside a city centre Primark.

Shocked witnesses described a 'tug of war' between the mother and the man, with her shouting 'my child has gone missing' as the girl was ripped from her grasp.

But before the alleged abductor could flee, three or four passers-by tackled him to the ground and held him down until police arrived.

Officers got to the store on Market Street, Manchester, just after 6.50pm last night and arrested the man on suspicion of attempted child abduction.

When shoppers saw the man walking away with the girl, pictured, they pinned him down before police arrived 

Witnesses described hearing the mother screaming her child was missing outside the popular shop while a man walked away with her. 

Kayley Wright, 23, told the Manchester Evening News: 'He grabbed the child from behind in a bear grip. He had her in the air, she was kicking and screaming.

'At that point the mother was just screaming but because it was so busy he didn't get anywhere. It was a bit of a tug of war between the mother and the man.

'Three or four people helped to hold the man down.' 

Passers-by tackled the man onto the floor and returning the child to her mother.

Police arrived and could be seen talking to the girl on the pavement.  

A 53-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted child abduction. He remains in police custody for questioning.

Another witness said: 'Everybody was shocked at the scene I just found out from people that saw it happen.

'The man tried taking the girl away from the mother and the mother starting shouting 'my child has gone missing'.

'Then she saw the man walking away with the child and she screamed.' 

It comes a year after two teenage girls searched 'rape' online before abducting a toddler from a Primark store in Newcastle by luring her with sweets and Coca Cola.

Police arrived by the store on just after 6.50pm on Wednesday and arrested the man on suspicion of attempted child abduction

This is the Primark store on Market Street in Manchester where the shocking incident took place

The girls, aged 13 and 14, gave the little girl sweets and fizzy pop on a Metro train out of Newcastle city centre after snatching her from her mother in Primark on April 13.

The youngster was later found in a park three miles away as her desperate mother tried to find her.

She was unharmed but a judge at Newcastle Crown Court said he was satisfied the child would have been harmed if the police had not found her.

Primark told MailOnline it did not wish to comment.  

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