An 11-year-old boy in Seminole County, Fla., is being credited with saving his 5-year-old sister by using a stick to hit and scare away a 6-foot-7-inch-tall man who had grabbed the girl, according to a Local 6 News report.

Investigators said the boy and girl were walking near a car wash at the Plantation Lakes Apartments Thursday when they were approached by the man.

The children said the man wanted to measure the 5-year-old girl.

"This individual approached them and said words like 'I want to see how tall you are' and grabbed the 5-year-old girl by the hand," Sanford police officer Chris Serino said.

Serino said the boy kept his wits and searched for a weapon after his sister was attacked.

"The 11-year-old brother told him to release her and he would not do it," Serino said. "The 11-year-old picked up a stick, hit the adult male with the stick and at that point he let the girl go."

The children then ran to Bentley Elementary School and told officials what happened.

Responding officers recognized the description the children gave of the man from another incident reported on Halloween.

The children identified Robert Haworth, 64, in a police photo lineup.

Haworth was arrested and charged with false imprisonment of a child.

"It was a courageous act and an effective act," Serino said.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.