A terrifying kidnapping turned into a dramatic rescue after a quick-thinking store clerk stepped in to save a 16-year-old girl taken at gunpoint on her way to school.
Police in Hamtramck, Michigan, say the teen was walking to her bus stop around 7 a.m. on April 13 when a man she didn’t know pulled up beside her, flashed a gun, and forced her into his car.
What happened next could have ended very differently—but the girl’s classmates and one alert stranger helped change everything.
Investigators say several students witnessed the abduction and immediately helped police track her location using social media and cellphone data. About 30 minutes later, the suspect stopped at a gas station in Detroit, just five miles away—and made the girl go inside with him.
That’s where things took a crucial turn.
Inside the convenience store, the man told the girl to buy him cigarettes. When she reached the counter, she quietly mouthed one word to the clerk: “Help.”
The clerk, identified as Abdulrahman Abohatem, instantly knew something was wrong.
“When he asked her to pay, I stopped and thought, ‘Something’s not right,’” he said. “She mouthed to me with no sound—‘Help.’”
Without hesitation, Abohatem stepped in.
He moved between the girl and the suspect, ordered the man out of the store, and told the teen to get behind him for safety. As the situation unfolded, police officers—already tracking the girl’s location—arrived at the scene.
“I saw the police outside and pointed to him,” Abohatem said. “I told them, ‘That’s the guy.’”
The suspect was taken into custody, and the teen was safely rescued.
Officials say the gun used in the kidnapping has been recovered. Authorities also revealed the suspect has a troubling criminal history, including past rape charges. His name is being withheld until his arraignment, which is expected to take place on April 15.
Police say the case has shaken the entire community.
“It’s very concerning because we’re talking about a child’s life,” said Hamtramck Police Chief Hussein Farhat. “It’s scary for the family—and for every parent.”
As for Abohatem, he says he’s just glad he was able to help.
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