A man is behind bars after attempting to kidnap a five-year-old girl from a car while her family was in it.
On Saturday shortly before midnight, a dad, his son and daughter, and his fiance were driving home from a family movie night.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, 34-year-old Quincy Dean started following the family’s car and rear-ended them at the intersection of Airport Drive and Norris Road in Oildale.
Both cars pulled into the Shell gas station, the family presumed, to assess damage. Then, the unthinkable happened.
“(Dean) ran to my daughter’s door, opened the door, reached in, and tried to pull her out,” explained the children’s mom, Brittany Cozart, who heard about the incident after it happened.
That’s when it became a family effort.
“My 11-year-old son wrapped his arms around his sister from being pulled out of the vehicle,” Cozart said.
Her son’s actions gave his dad enough time to pull Dean to the ground. He held Dean there until deputies arrived. The family said Dean was a stranger.
“You hear about that kind of stuff happening in your community or somewhere else,” Cozart said. “Keep your children right next to you. Lock your doors anytime you’re out anywhere.”
As close to home this situation hit, the family is proud to call themselves a team.
“Everybody involved in that situation are heroes for acting as fast as they did,” Cozart said. “I am beyond proud of my son. I feel we’ve done an amazing job raising such a strong-willed little boy.”
According to court records, Dean has previously been charged with driving under the influence and petty theft. This time, Dean pled not guilty to six felonies including attempted kidnapping, vandalism, and assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm.
Dean is currently on bail for $150,000. He’s next due in court December 2nd.
