A Florida couple has been arrested after attempting to lure a 9-year-old girl into their van in Hollywood. Michael Diaz, 34, and Taiana Tersano, 31, were charged with luring/enticing a child under 12. Tersano also faces charges of resisting an officer with violence. FOX 35 Orlando reported
Stream FOX 35 News: Arrest Made After Florida Couple Attempted to Lure 9-Year-Old Girl into Van
A shocking incident unfolded in Hollywood, Florida, where a couple was arrested for attempting to lure a 9-year-old girl playing in her front yard into their van. Michael Diaz, 34, and Taiana Tersano, 31, were apprehended following the incident that occurred on McKinley Street on November 3, as stated in an arrest affidavit from the Hollywood Police Department obtained by FOX 35 News.
According to the affidavit, a woman called 911 just before 4:30 p.m. to report that a van occupied by a man, woman, and small child had tried to entice her 9-year-old daughter into the vehicle. The girl was playing in the front yard under the supervision of her mother’s boyfriend when the van pulled up.
Tersano, leaning out of the van’s window, beckoned the girl to come closer in a seemingly normal tone, as stated in the arrest report. However, the girl became frightened and quickly ran inside the house.
The girl’s mother, who was inside the house at the time, rushed outside upon hearing a woman’s scream. She witnessed Tersano, identified as the woman in the van, attempting to approach her daughter. Fortunately, the mother’s boyfriend intervened, preventing any physical contact between Tersano and the child.
Disturbingly, Tersano was overheard threatening the family, stating, “I’m going to come back and kill all of you,” according to the report.
Police gathered information from a witness who observed the entire incident from a nearby stop sign. The mother’s boyfriend, who was sitting in his car at the time, attempted to deescalate the situation. However, Tersano spat on him and punched him. Additionally, the man in the van, Diaz, was heard instructing someone to “Grab the f—— kid,” as detailed in the arrest report.
Tersano made another attempt to approach the 9-year-old girl, but the boyfriend acted in self-defense and struck her in the face. Frightened, Tersano retreated back into the van, and the couple fled the scene.
After providing the police with a description of the van, officers located and conducted a traffic stop. During the stop, they discovered the couple’s 7-year-old child in the back of the van, not properly seated and surrounded by loose mechanical tools, as indicated in the affidavit. Child protective investigators were immediately notified, and custody of the child was handed over to them.
Tersano was arrested and placed in a patrol car. However, during the traffic stop, she managed to escape the car by jumping out when the door opened, and she then lunged toward an officer. When the police attempted to place her back into the patrol car, she resisted by wrapping her legs around an officer’s legs. She even laid flat in the backseat and struck an officer’s hand with her feet.
Upon the arrest of Diaz and Tersano, their van was towed, and they were transported to the Broward County Jail. Arrest records indicate that both individuals were charged with luring/enticing a child under the age of 12 and causing a child to become delinquent. Tersano faces two additional counts of resisting an officer with violence.
In conclusion, this distressing incident serves as a reminder of the dangers that children may face even in the seemingly safe confines of their own front yards. Thanks to the swift response of both the witness and law enforcement, the situation was resolved, and the suspects were apprehended. The safety and well-being of children must always remain a top priority, and incidents like these highlight the importance of ongoing vigilance and awareness within our communities..