A little more than 24 hours after the Broward Sheriff’s Office asked for the public’s help to find a man who attempted to kidnap a teen from a Fort Lauderdale bus stop; the suspect has turned himself in.
The BSO said they received almost a dozen calls identifying the man as Carl Watts. Then, deputies said after seeing himself on television, Watts called detectives too.
The attempted abduction happened on May 1 at the bus stop outside the Shell gas station at 2701 W. Sunrise Boulevard, the Broward Sheriff's Office said. BSO said the man, allegedly Watts, tried to grab an 18-year-old who was sitting at the bus stop.
“He could’ve took me. He could’ve killed me, raped me, all types of stuff,” the victim said Thursday. “He kept wanting me to come in his car. He said, ‘Oh I’ll drop you off at school,’ and I was like no.”
Deputies said Watts has a lengthy criminal history that includes three previous kidnapping charges and is currently on federal probation on a weapons charge. He was arrested Friday and charged with one count each of false imprisonment and battery.
The BSO said the man tried to stuff money down the shirt of the girl at one point. Watts said he offered to buy the girl breakfast, but denied shoving the money downer her shirt or grabbing her wrist. Watts told detectives he’s lonely and can be persistent when trying to pick up a woman.
