APD: Abducted child fought back

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Albuquerque police say it was a tough little girl and a good Samaritan who sent a kidnapper on the run and into police custody.

Police were able to arrest Philip Garcia,29, the man they say took the 6-year-old Albuquerque girl in broad daylight.

Garcia was booked on Tuesday morning into the Metropolitan Detention Center and charged with kidnapping with great bodily harm, tampering with evidence and child abuse.

According to the criminal complaint, Garcia physically grabbed the child from the sidewalk on Monday afternoon as she was walking to her house in the Vista del Sol mobile home park near Blake and Unser in southwest Albuquerque. From there, police say Garcia forced the girl into his van and took off.

After her rescue, the girl had bruises on her back and upper chest. She also fought back by biting Garcia on the hand.

Antonio Diaz Chacón saw the girl get pulled into the van and followed it until it crashed at 118th Street and Dennis Chavez. Police say Garcia took off on foot after the crash while Diaz Chacón was able to recover the girl.

Garcia later came back to the van and high-centered it out on the mesa. Investigators also say they recovered orange tie down straps in the vehicle and hidden under a rock near the van.

Albuquerque Police Sgt. Trish Hoffman says without the work of Diaz Chacón, it could've ended a lot worse.

"The potential for what could've ended up happening to this young girl, I don't even want to think about it," Hoffman said. "So it's just good that she is safe and back with her family."

Police said Garcia was later photographed with what appears to be a bite mark on his right hand.