(WXYZ) — A 23-year-old Shelby Township man was arraigned on Thursday afternoon for the alleged attempted kidnappings of two girls, one in Clinton Township and one in Sterling Heights.
Endi Bala is facing the following charges related to the Clinton Township incident: Attempted Unlawful Imprisonment and Assault and Battery.
VIDEO: Man arraigned on charges in alleged attempted kidnapping in Sterling Heights
He's also facing the following charges related to the Sterling Heights incident: Kidnapping - Child Enticement, Reckless Driving, and Assault and Battery.
In Clinton Township, Bala's bond was set at $2 million, while his bond was denied in the Sterling Heights case.
The first incident was in Clinton Township on Clinton River Road between Hayes and Garfield.
EXTENDED INTERVIEW: 'That girl would have been dead.' Man steps in to save girl from attempted kidnapping
Paul Billiter, an observant and quick-thinking stranger, saved the 15-year-old girl. He said he was doing yard work when he noticed her walk by. Moments later, he said a car sped up and did a U-turn.
Billiter said that seemed suspicious enough. However, he and other neighbors tell 7 News Detroit they then heard an indescribable loud-pitched scream.
“She didn’t yell for help. She was just screaming like the way a dog would howl. She was terribly frightened on that,” he recalled.
Billiter, who stands at 6'5 and 270 pounds, said the girl's screams caused him to go from watching closely to taking action.
“I ran out there, and I grabbed a hold of the guy and he told me, ‘I’m her father.' The guy was in his 25 to 30, and it was impossible for him to be her father," he recalled.
"I yanked him out, and I held him there and I told him, ‘Hey, you’re not going nowhere with this girl. We’re calling the cops, and that’s that," Billiter said.
The man drove away. Neighbors called 911 and got the man’s license plate.
VIDEO: New footage from police shows Sterling Heights attempted kidnapping incident
Investigators said that man ended up getting caught in Sterling Heights an hour later after he tried to abduct a 7-year-old girl.
Alecia Swejkoski was at the Clinton River Park with her 8-year-old son and 7-year-old niece on Tuesday when a stranger pulled up in a car in between her and the kids — and got out.
"He went right up behind her. He went out of his car, back around, grabbed her, and then tried to get into the passenger seat and we just met right through the middle there," she said.
VIDEO: Family recounts terror when man grabbed 7-year-old in Sterling Heights
The man was trying to drive off with her niece. Alecia was hanging out of the car's window, struggling with the man, getting punched and telling her niece to run and refusing to let him drive off with her.
"I'm telling her to get out, get out. It was insanity," she said.
Scott Van Luven was just heading home from work when he saw Alecia struggling with the driver, and he saw the car run over her 8-year-old son who was also trying to stop the man.
Scott said he had the suspect put his vehicle in park.
"I literally pulled him out of the car and just held him against his car until police got here," he said.
