Mother fights off man trying to kidnap her daughter in a supermarket

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

CCTV has emerged of the moment a man tried to abduct a young girl in a supermarket, by dragging her away from her mother.

Police named the suspect as Craig Bonello, 30, after an off-duty officer apprehended him outside the store by blocking Bonello's car.

As seen in the video above, Bonello is pictured attempting to seize the 13-year-old. However, her mother refuses to let go of her daughter and eventually causes Bonello to flee.

Investigators reported that the off-duty officer was alerted to the situation after the store manager screamed for help.

The Citrus County Sheriff's Office said that Bonello was taken into custody and will be charged with one count of kidnapping and one count of child abuse.

"We are grateful for the courageous acts of both the child’s mother and off-duty Dep. Jonathan Behnen. Thankfully, the child was saved and no one suffered any injuries during the incident."

"This was a chaotic scene with a lot at stake," said Commander Buddy Grant.

"Thank goodness the girl's mother jumped into action to prevent this man from kidnapping her daughter. And, thank goodness Dep. Behnen used his training and experience to stop this man from escaping. This is obviously someone who needs to be behind bars. He won't be getting out anytime soon to do this again."

The sheriff's office also reported that Bonello had been arrested several times before, most recently in February 2016 for trespassing.