Gas station clerk honored for helping rescue kidnapped teen
By Paula Wethington
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HAMTRAMCK, Michigan (WWJ) — A gas station clerk was formally honored by city officials in Hamtramck, Michigan, after he helped save a teenager who was kidnapped.
The circumstances started about 7 a.m. April 13, when a 16-year-old girl was abducted near a school bus stop. A man forced the girl into the back of a van before driving away.
The teen was able to place a 911 call and police checked in with students at her school, Frontier International Academy in Hamtramck. Officers were able to track her phone to a possible location at a Sunoco gas station at the corner of Conant and Nevada.
While the suspect and the girl were at the gas station, the teen was able to signal to the clerk that she was in danger.
“The cashier immediately came to her aid, and the defendant quickly left,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said.
On Tuesday night, that gas station clerk, Abdulrahman Abohatem, was recognized by the City of Hamtramck and Hamtramck School District for his attention and actions, with the honors including a certificate of exceptional bravery.
“He came out of his way from around the corner in a gas station,” said Adam Alharbi, mayor of Hamtramck.
“I don’t see myself as a hero. I just feel like I had to do what I did and I thank God that the girl is ok and the criminal got what he deserved,” Abohatem said.
Prosecutors say 48-year-old Donald Fields of Hamtramck has been charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and other charges in the abduction of that 16-year-old girl.
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