Andre Davis said he was working at Captain D's in Charlotte, North Carolina, when a 17-year-old girl ran inside.
Police said 25-year-old Patrick McManus has been arrested after he reportedly forced the teenage girl into his car and assaulted her.
McManus is charged with kidnapping and human trafficking.
“He was following her, and my manager told him, ‘No, you're not allowed in the girls’ bathroom,’” Davis said. “Everybody was panicking. They didn't know if he had a gun. Like, it was crazy in here."
Police said they were called to a motel on Reagan Drive around 4:50 p.m. Friday for a report of a 17-year-old who had been assaulted and kidnapped. Officers said the victim and suspect left before they arrived.
Officers were then called to the Captain D’s around 5:38 p.m. The 911 caller said a woman who had been kidnapped was inside the restaurant.
Police said officers located the victim and McManus, who was arrested on the scene.
"The manager grabbed cleaning supplies to act like she was cleaning the bathroom the whole time when I was on the phone with police," Davis said.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's Human Trafficking Unit was brought in to investigate and found the 17-year-old victim had known McManus for less than a week.
Police said the girl told them she was staying at the nearby Royal Inn, where McManus was also staying.
Court documents show the teen said McManus told her he loved her, but he was physically abusive and forced her into prostitution so he could buy drugs.
“That's crazy,” Davis said. "At a young age, that's real, that's real bad."
The girl told detectives that McManus demanded she work as a prostitute to earn him money. She said when she refused, he threatened and assaulted her.
She told police she lied to McManus and tried to hide, but he found her, choked her and forced her into his car while he was holding a Taser.
The victim was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
"Nobody would want that to happen to their kid,” Davis said.
Detectives said the teen put up a fight for more than 2 miles and attempted to jump out of the moving car.
"About a minute after I got off the phone, the police (were) here," Davis said.
Police said McManus was being taken to the Mecklenburg County Jail after his interview when he was able to move his handcuffed hands to the front of his body and assault the officer who was driving.
Police said he spit on two officers that responded and kicked the patrol car door.
McManus was eventually restrained. Police said McManus had minor injuries after the incident and was taken to Novant Health for evaluation.
McManus is charged with kidnapping, human trafficking, assault on a female, assault by strangulation, assault on a government official, damage to property, two counts of malicious conduct by a prisoner, resisting and promoting prostitution. He is in jail on a $120,000 bond.
Police are asking anyone who has information about this case or suspect to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
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