Mom Brandishing Giant Pliers Hunts Daughter's Alleged Kidnapper

April 11, 2011— -- A brave 8-year-old and her fiercely protective mother are being hailed for tracking down a homeless man, who police say tried to snatch the girl while she walked home from school.

The girl, who police have not identified because of her age, slipped out of the hands of Micah Green, a 29-year-old transient with a lengthy criminal record, and ran home Friday,police said.

When her mother learned what happened, she and the girl jumped in their car to find Green, who the girl said was not wearing a shirt. She said she had noticed him watching her from behind a tree before he tried to grab her near her home in Orlando, Fla.

"She looked back and felt him grab her," said Cpl. Susan Soto, spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office. "She screamed and pushed him. She cut loose and ran home."

When the girl spotted Green from the car, her mother jumped out of the car and began chasing the suspect with a heavy set of pliers, police said.

She chased him into the convenience store of the RaceTrac filling station, according to the police report.

Green ran into the store screaming, "She's going to kill me," Soto said.

The mother then told the store's staff that the man was suspected of trying to kidnap her daughter. A clerk and several customers helped detain Green until police arrived.

Greene was arrested and appeared in court late Friday. Charges were decreased from kidnapping to attempted kidnapping. Bond was set at $50,000.

Green, who has been arrested 10 times since 2002, has not yet entered a plea but told ABC News affiliate WFTV, "I'm innocent of all charges."

"It was all lies, made up," he said as he was led to the courthouse.

Asked by reporters why the girl's mother would chase him and accuse him of trying to kidnap her daughter he said it was "a publicity stunt."