SACRAMENTO, Calif — An Arden area small business owner is being hailed a hero after protecting a child in a stroller from an alleged attempted kidnapping.
It was a relatively normal day at the Fulton Avenue Express Smog Pros on Tuesday until Ashraf Ali heard screaming coming from outside his garage.
A woman walking barefoot attempted to take a baby out of a stroller who was being walked with two women.
“I want baby,” Ali says the woman shouted. “Give me baby.”
Security video shows that woman grabbing and chasing the two women, and Ali moving toward the child in the stroller and standing in front to offer protection. The woman attempted to move toward the child again, but Ali stood his ground. Ali said she eventually left the area.
Ali said he later invited the two women into his business to sit and offered them water. They both thanked him before leaving about 10 minutes later. Several community members have also stopped by the business to show support, which he says is much appreciated.
The native of Pakistan is also a husband and father. Ali, a Muslim, says he is strong in his faith and feels blessed by God. He says people should always try to help one another.
"I try my best," Ali said. "We are human. We help each other.”
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office arrested the accused woman on suspicion of attempted kidnapping in connection to the Fulton incident. They did not release her identity.
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