UPDATED: 5 p.m.
WILLOW GROVE, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — After a day-long search, Abington police have in custody a 44-year-old Philadelphia man, accused of grabbing a 14-year-old girl by the arm at the Willow Grove Mall on Wednesday evening and trying to lead her toward an exit.
Abington Police Chief Patrick Molloy says Khalilh Evans is charged with unlawful imprisonment of a minor, a second-degree felony, along with harassment.
Authorities say a second man, who was waiting in a car nearby, is the subject of an ongoing investigation. For now, there are no charges filed against him, while police try to figure out what his role was.
“Only God knows what their intentions were. We can only assume the worst,” Molloy said.
Around 7 p.m., Abington police said the girl took the mall escalator from the second level down to the first. When she got to the bottom, she was met by a man who identified himself as “Alex.”
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He extended his arm as if he was going to escort her. According to police, the girl told the man she was underage and stepped away, but he did not leave her alone. He grabbed her arm and led her across the mall, authorities said.
Fortunately, the girl was able not to break out of the man’s grip and yell for help. As she ran away, other people stepped in and blocked the man from following her.
Not only that, but she was also able to snap a photograph of him.
“That was a key piece of evidence,” Molloy said, commending the girl for her bravery. “The fact that she did make a decision to be her own advocate, pull away and scream, that’s what we would say to do in any of these cases. The public will jump in when somebody’s trying to harm our children.”
The teenager was alone at the time because she got separated from her friends. The entire ordeal lasted 30 seconds, more or less.
Investigators said he and the other man left in a dark-gray minivan or crossover-style vehicle, like a Chrysler Journey. Abington police released surveillance images of the two men, which helped garner tips from the public.
Molloy says Evans has a lengthy criminal history and, in his opinion, should have been behind bars on recent charges in Philadelphia.
“I know there are a lot of things that go into decisions of why people are back on the street but this here is a disgrace and we need to do a better job. The system failed,” he said.
KYW Newsradio has reached out to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office to ask for a response to Malloy's comments and additional context.
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Molloy said Abington police got a lot of tips from the public, and it appears that these two men approached at least one other girl that night about a half-hour prior. “Alex” handed another 14-year-old girl a piece of paper with a phone number on it, then left.
Malloy says police have heard from other people who had similar interactions with Evans at area malls, though Molloy says they believe this was the first time he made physical contact with someone.
After an all-day search for Evans, he finally turned up Thursday when he contacted his lawyer in Media. U.S. Marshals had also been in communication with the lawyer, and they were able to take Evans into custody.
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