Shelby Twp. man in court for alleged attempted kidnapping of girls
The 8-year-old cousin of a girl who was the victim of an attempted kidnapping in Sterling Heights on Tuesday jumped in front of the suspected kidnapper’s car to stop him from driving away with her cousin. The girl’s aunt then got into an argument with the kidnapper, the children’s step-grandmother said.
Endi Bala allegedly hit the 8-year-old with his car after attempting to kidnap the boy’s 7-year-old cousin, said Andrea Childers, the children’s step-grandmother. Just an hour earlier, he allegedly attempted to abduct a 15-year-old girl who was traveling in Clinton Township.
Childers shudders to think what would have happened to her granddaughter if her aunt and cousin hadn’t been there to try to save her.
“I don’t know what this guy was planning to do to my granddaughter, but I can only imagine the worst,” Childers said. “You hear it on Facebook: ‘There’s a scary guy walking around Target’ or ‘There’s a scary guy at Meijers,’ and you never think it could happen to your family until it happens to your family. I just hope this spreads like wildfire and everyone knows about it and knows that this is not an uncommon occurrence for the safety of their children.”
Bala, 23, was arraigned Thursday in connection with both attempted kidnappings. He is charged with child abduction with enticement of a child, reckless driving and assault in Sterling Heights. He was also charged with false imprisonment and assault in Clinton Township. If convicted of kidnapping, he faces up to life in prison.
His attorney at Thursday’s arraignment in Sterling Heights did not comment on the case but asked for $50,000 bail for Bala because he already had to post $2 million bail in Clinton Township. Assistant District Attorney Mark Laws asked for $5 million bail, in part because of concerns that Bala could be a flight risk because he has traveled to Albania three times in the past six years.
Michael Piatek, judge of Sterling Heights’ 41-A District Court, remanded Bala to the Macomb County Detention Center.
Childers said the $50,000 bail requested by Bala’s attorney was a “punch in the stomach” to the family.
“He deserves to never see the light of day again,” Childers said.
Bala was arrested by Sterling Heights police on Tuesday after he allegedly approached a 7-year-old girl in Clinton River North Park, dragged her off her bike and placed her in his car, according to the Macomb County District Attorney’s Office.
On Thursday, police released video of the incident. Childers said when the girl’s mother took her to see her father, she asked to wear glasses because she wanted to look different than she did on Tuesday.
“She’s seven and she doesn’t want to look like she did on Tuesday anymore because she’s scared someone will steal her like they did on Tuesday,” Childers said. “It’s heartbreaking. But she’s a very strong little girl.”
Video shows alleged child abduction attempt
Video shows alleged child abduction attempt
An hour earlier, witnesses called 911 after seeing a man force a 15-year-old girl into a white sedan on Clinton River Road east of Hayes, Clinton Township police said in a news release Wednesday. The girl was walking on Clinton River Road.
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He allegedly grabbed the girl by the head and neck and tried to hoist her into his car, prosecutors said. A resident intervened, helped the girl run away and alerted other residents, who called 911, prosecutors said.
The 7-year-old girl’s aunt and a volunteer Citizens on Patrol officer intervened and pulled the man from the car, prosecutors said. The aunt ran to the car and began fighting with Bala, Sterling Heights police said.
“Thanks to the outstanding work of the 7-year-old’s aunt, our citizen volunteers and the police officers who quickly arrived on the scene, we were able to take a very dangerous suspect off the streets and save a 7-year-old girl from further injury,” said Captain Mario Bastianelli, spokesman for the Sterling Heights Police Department.
