Honk News (South Miami, FL) – A young girl in Florida bravely battled for her safety following an alleged abduction attempt by a man. At this moment, she is sharing her narrative.
A 16-year-old girl named Valerie was reportedly walking in her South Miami neighborhood on the morning of Thursday, Feb. 20, when an alleged attempt to attack and kidnap her was made by Brian Gamboa, according to police information shared with CBS News Miami.
A 32-year-old man from New York, now residing in South Miami, allegedly tried to pull Valerie into his vehicle, as she recounted to WSVN. “He stopped and came out of the car, and he was drunk. Really wobbly,” she told the Fox affiliate. “He just screamed, ‘Shush,’ and he went for my arm.”
According to Valerie’s account to CBS News Miami, Gamboa, standing at 6 feet tall as per police records, began to assault her.
She recounted how he “grabbed me by my shoulders” and “started hitting me in the back of my head,” before she detailed how she “fought back.”
“I threw my phone at him,” Valerie told CBS News Miami. “I started kicking him, I started screaming and stuff. And then I started punching him.”
The situation intensified rapidly when Gamboa reportedly shoved Valerie to the ground, prompting her to say, “dragged him down with me,” she recalled to the outlet. “Then I kicked him in the crotch [and] in the head and then I ran off.”
In a frantic bid for assistance, Valerie pounded on a neighbor’s door while Gamboa made a swift escape, according to CBS News Miami.
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According to reports, Gamboa was subsequently involved in a hit-and-run incident in a restaurant parking lot nearby, leading to his arrest by Miami-Dade Sheriff’s officers. It was at that moment that Valerie recognized him as her assailant, according to CBS News Miami.
Gamboa seemed to have suffered injuries during the incident and subsequent collision, with noticeable cuts on his forehead evident in his mugshot. The Miami teenager, on the other hand, came away with only a knee injury, which she displayed on camera during her interview with WSVN.
“I pushed him off with this leg,” she told the outlet, “so I can’t bend this knee right now.”
In addition to the physical reminders of the attack, Valerie expressed her difficulty in moving past the terrifying incident.
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“It was really scary. I’m okay, except the fact that my knee is messed up,” she told WSVN. “I got pretty lucky, like, it could have been way worse for me. I didn’t want to have a story like that. I didn’t want to have his impact on my life like that, so I was just fighting.”
“Hopefully, he goes to jail for a very long time. I don’t think this man should ever be on the street again,” she added to the outlet, before sharing the message she wants others to take away from the situation.
According to arrest records, Gamboa faces charges of attempted kidnapping and battery of a child and has been placed under house arrest.
He secured his $30,000 bond on February 20, yet his release from custody is contingent upon the fitting of an ankle monitor.