'Attempted abduction'? Yuma police release bodycam footage to addressing viral post

YUMA, Ariz. - A recent viral post claims officers in Yuma didn't investigate an attempted abduction. Now, police are trying to head off what they call "misinformation online."

What we know:

According to Yuma Police, the issue stems from a social media post made on July 21 involving a 16-year-old girl, depicting an incident as a "violent attempted abduction," claiming the police department was "slow to investigate and failed to collect crucial video evidence."

The call came in at 1:25 a.m. that Tuesday morning, and officers were able to quickly get on scene and interview the teen involved and two witnesses. 

According to those statements, the 16-year-old tried buying a vape at the store, but the clerk refused. The teen then gave money to someone else and tried to get them to buy the vape for her, who went through the drive-thru and made their purchases.

When the teen asked if he made the purchase for her, she asked for her money back, police said. But, the guy refused. As he drove away, police said the teen grabbed the driver's side window frame, holding onto the moving car for about 260 feet before letting go. When the car made a sudden stop, the girl rolled onto the road. 

Obtaining Video:

During the investigation, employees at the store said there was video, but didn't have access to the surveillance system, which could only be obtained by the store's owner. Despite the police department trying to contact the owner to get the video, they were unsuccessful. The video was recovered on July 30 after the department's video forensic personnel went to the company to get the evidence. 

Officials released three body camera videos

In the first video released, the teen can be heard telling an officer, "I asked them to get me a drink, and they were trying to ID me for a drink, but it was just a regular drink." The officer asks where it happened, to which the girl responds, inside "at the liquor store." The teen explains that she gave the guy money, who later drove off without returning it or giving her the drink she requested. 

The second and third video shows the interview with two witnesses, as they explain how the girl approached the car and asked them to buy her something. When the driver said they didn't have her money, the witness said she hung on to the side of the car door, but flying off after the sudden stop. One witness told police she believed the money she was owed was only $22. 

What they're saying:

"Claims that the Department failed to obtain this evidence are inconsistent with the investigative steps that were taken and the evidence that was collected," the Yuma Police Department said. "In summary, this was NOT an attempted abduction. YPD did gather the video evidence from the store, and this is still an ongoing investigation."

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