COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A missing 9-year-old girl escaped an apparent kidnapper and called 911 herself from a convenience store in Colorado Springs on Friday, police said.
The Pueblo girl was reported missing Thursday night after she failed to return home from school.
The car of the man she was with broke down Friday in Colorado Springs, and a passerby gave them a ride to a Circle K, police said.
The girl ran into the store and asked to use the phone to call her uncle but instead called 911, which prompted the man to take off, authorities said.
Police have identified the suspect as Jose Garcia, 29, who is described as 5-foot-6 and 160 pounds. Investigators haven't said how they connected him to the kidnapping.
Efren Vialpando told The Gazette ( ) he saw the girl come in the Circle K with two black eyes and a bruise on her lip and face. She had refused to leave the store with the man, saying "I ain't going nowhere. I'm waiting for my momma." He said the suspect fled after that.
A Circle K employee declined to comment, citing store policy.
The girl was taken to a hospital Friday morning. Police spokeswoman Barbara Miller said because of the girl's age, details of the girl's condition won't be released.
The FBI helped with the investigation.
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Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazette.com
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