After finishing her work at Alexandria Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles, crossing guard Adrian Young was on her way home when she suddenly heard a little girl screaming.. Her words left her freezing in shock.
“Please don’t let her take me,” the girl yelled. “I don’t know her. She’s not my mom!”
Adrian looked over and noticed a woman trying to drag the 8-year-old girl away.
She instantly rushes in to do the right thing.
“I kind of went into mother mode,” she said, “because I couldn’t see myself letting this little girl be taken.”
The woman who tried to kidnap the little girl was so large and big. With Adrian is only 4-feet-8-inches tall, it was hard to face-off her but she didn’t hesitate a second and told the little girl to hold onto her as hard as she can.
“I just told her to grab onto me as tight as she could,” Adrian said, “and I held onto her and the lady just began to attack me, so I just thought about attacking her to make sure she can’t take this little girl.”
The woman seeing Adrian is not willing to let it go. she released the little girl and ran away. Thankfully, police was able to arrest her. 50-year-old Maria Ramirez was charged with one count of felony kidnapping.
Thanks to Adrian who is now being praised for her heroic act, the little girl was able to go back to his family safe and sound.
Adrian was honored by Los Angeles City Council member Mitch O’Farrell at a public event, saying, “Sometimes superheroes come in small packages. And because of her diligence, training and awareness, and just because she cares so much about children, she prevented what could have been a kidnapping of a child.”
The young girl’s mother, Sharon Arellano, will forever be grateful for Adrian’s bravery and selfless act towards her little daughter.
“If it wouldn’t have been for her I wouldn’t know where my daughter would be right now,” she said.
Both Sharon and Adrian are fighting for the school to implement more stringent safety measures so nothing like this will ever happen again.
