From Average Kid to Hero
On Saturday, December 12, TJ Smith went from being an average 11-year-old to a hero. He was playing outside of his home in Wichita Falls, Texas, when he witnessed something truly terrifying. He watched as a man kidnapped a girl while she was riding her scooter. TJ sprang into action and most likely saved the young girl’s life. Check out the story.
Credit: KAUZ-TV
Not your average Saturday
Credit: KAUZ-TV
It started out as a normal Saturday for TJ Smith as he played outside of his home in Texas. Then, out of nowhere, he saw a strange man take a little 7-year-old girl while she played on her scooter, and run for it. TJ knew he needed to do something, and he knew he needed to act fast. The quick thinking 11-year-old ran to the nearest adult’s house to tell him what he had just witnessed. The adult who helped TJ, James Ware, tells the amazing story of what happened next.
TJ Gets Help
Credit: KAUZ-TV
James Ware says that TJ pointed out the area where he saw the man take the girl. At first TJ thought it was a relative of hers, a cousin maybe, but then he realized something about the situation did not feel right. TJ showed James which direction the man took the girl, “He pointed behind the house, and said he went behind the house,” James said. “I pulled into the alley and threw (the car) in park. My wife yelled at him and told him to put the child down. He was about to put her in a window.”
Scary Confession
Credit: KAUZ-TV
The kidnapper, Raeshawn Perez, was found at a vacant home. When James went to approach him, he let the girl go and tried to run. He didn’t get very far before James caught up to him, held him down, and waited for police to arrive. This is where it gets truly terrifying. Raeshawn admitted that he was wanting to sexually assault the young girl. If not for TJ and James, this story would have had a much different ending. The Wichita Falls Police Department made TJ Smith an Honorary Police Member. They presented him with a police badge, which he wore to school. Watch the video up next.