The attempted abduction of a four-year-old girl was said to have been stopped by two female churchgoers who wrestled the man to the ground and stopped him.
The man reportedly entered Holy Trinity Church in West Bromwich, West Midlands at pace and attempted to abduct the toddler on Sunday.
But before he could make a break for it, two women reportedly grappled the man and dragged him to the ground where he was soon remanded on the church floor.
One churchgoer who witnessed the incident said the suspect was ‘like a man possessed’ as he charged towards the young girl.
‘He came bursting in and went for the girl,’ they told The Sun.
‘Two worshippers managed to get hold of him and stop him escaping with the youngster. It was an awful thing to see.
‘But both of them did so well to stop him.’
Police arrived on the scene at 12.30pm arrested the man on suspicion of attempted child abduction.
The attempted abduction took place inside Holy Trinity Church in West Bromwich, West Midlands on Sunday, March 2
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: ‘We have arrested a man in connection with the attempted abduction of a four-year-old child.
‘We were called to a church on Burlington Road at around 12.38pm following a report that a man had picked up the child and was refusing to let her go.
‘Members of the public assisted and the man was arrested by officers on suspicion of attempted child abduction.
‘He remains in police custody.
‘Thankfully, the child was not injured and we’re continuing to offer support to the child and her family.’
Detective Chief Inspector Fox added: ‘We fully understand the concerns this will have caused but we do believe it is an isolated incident.
‘We will have officers in the area offering reassurance to the local community. If you have any concerns, please come and speak with us.’
