SAN ANTONIO — A local mother is grateful to have her 3-year-old son back after he was allegedly kidnapped on Thursday afternoon from their northeast side apartment.
In an exclusive interview with KENS 5, Danielle Bernal said two neighbors were able to save her child from the suspect as she tried shoving him through a fence to escape.
Police identified the suspect as MyRajah Rankin, a 19-year-old member of the track team at the University of the Incarnate Word.
Rankin hid in a random apartment before she was taken into custody. She is facing charges of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Before the chaos, Bernal said her son Michael was playing outside with a friend in the backyard. At some point he ran around to the front door where Bernal said Rankin was standing.
Bernal grabbed the boy and closed the door but he ran out towards the backyard. Bernal said the suspect was also there and grabbed him, then she began repeating the phrase, 'just one, just one'.
The mother tried to take her son back. As the two women fought over the little boy, Bernal said the woman stabbed her arm with a screwdriver. She lost grip and Rankin ran off with her son.
"I started screaming, yelling, crying," said Bernal.
Two neighbors were able to catch up with the suspect as she tried pushing Michael through a fence.
"I just hugged [Michael] and we came inside, locked the door and that was that until police arrived," said Bernal.
When police showed up they found Rankin hiding inside a different apartment unit. The encounter was caught on camera in the tenant's living room.
"My wife's like, 'What are you doing here? This isn't your apartment! Leave!' Then she (Rankin) said, 'Shhh!'"
The tenant said Rankin stole crosses from their kitchen, along with a pair of scissors before hiding in the closet. His wife, niece and mother-in-law called 911 before running outside.
Bernal plans to take action against the teen suspect and put her son in counseling as she fears what had happened could affect him later.
For now, she is grateful her son is safe at home.
"It could've been worse. It could've been way worse," Bernal said.