PONCE INLET, Fla. – A 16-year-old girl escaped an abduction attempt early Thursday as she was walking to her Volusia County school bus stop by biting her attacker, authorities said.
The incident was reported around 6 a.m. in Ponce Inlet.
Police said the girl was walking north on Peninsula Drive, just south of Anchor Drive, when a man, identified as Jonathan Andrew Buchanan, pulled up, grabbed her and tried to force her into his car.
"The suspect got out of the car, approached her, started asking her some questions. She tried walking away. He grabbed her hand. When she went to pull away, he then grabbed her, wrapped one hand around her waist, the other hand around her mouth," Ponce Inlet Police Chief Frank Fabrizio said.
The girl told a 911 operator that Buchanan has tried to get her into his car before, but this was the first time he actually got out of his vehicle.
"This time he stopped his car right beside me, got out and was trying to talk to me. He, like, sexually touched me and I told him to get away and so then he tried to cover my mouth, but I screamed and he, like, pushed me off and then he got in his car and drove away," the girl told 911.
Click here to listen to the 911 call
Ponce Inlet police said the girl bit and scratched the man and broke free, and Buchanan drove off.
Police said Buchanan, 26, was speeding across the Dunlawton Bridge and was pulled over in Daytona Beach Shores, where he was arrested. He faces a charge of attempted kidnapping.
Police said the girl told officers that Buchanan's pants were down when he grabbed her. Police said Buchanan's pants were down when he was arrested and he had a bottle of lotion and a teddy bear.
"The suspect was very nervous. His pants were undone and unzipped. He had a teddy bear in the car and also some type of lotions or cream in the car," Fabrizio said.
Authorities said it took search warrants to get Buchanan to finally cooperate and show his hands, where police said he had scratches and marks from where the teen bit him. Police said they are now stepping up patrol in the area to make sure their residents and children feel safe.
The girl was shaken but not seriously injured, officials said.
"She did exactly what we teach. She did great. She fought back, screamed when she got free and scared the perpetrator off," Fabrizio said.
Buchanan's four-door Buick was towed to an impound lot, police said.
Buchanan is charged with attempted kidnapping and battery. He's being held without bond.
Ormond Beach Police told News 6, Buchanan pulled up next to a woman and asked if she'd like to have sex in an earlier incident. Once she refused, he drove off. However, police said, he was never charged.