Overview
- The incident occurred on July 21 when officers responded to a liquor store after reports involving a 16-year-old and were told the teen tried to get someone to buy a vape or drink for her.
- A viral social media post that called the event a violent attempted abduction also accused police of failing to collect surveillance, prompting local alarm and wide sharing of the claim.
- Yuma Police say their video forensic team recovered the store’s surveillance on July 30 after difficulty reaching the owner and later released three body-worn camera clips in early August to clarify the record.
- The released footage and interviews show the teen giving money to another person, grabbing the driver’s side window frame as the vehicle left, holding on about 260 feet, then falling off after a sudden stop.
- The department is still investigating, is seeking to identify the driver, and urged the public to base conclusions on the collected evidence rather than on social media posts about the juvenile-involved case.