Surveillance video captured the moment that a pimp battered a teen girl in a parking lot in Texas. Thankfully, onlookers confronted the abuser and helped the teenager escape the dangerous situation.
In January, Ricky Stevenson brought a 17-year-old girl to a nail salon in Plano, Texas. As they were leaving, the two engaged in an apparent argument. Stevenson stomps his foot. Then the 29-year-old Stevenson punches the girl in the face – causing the teen to fall to the ground and hit her head.
The girl lays helpless on the sidewalk at Plano’s Shops at Legacy. A man who witnessed the assault walks toward the situation.
Stevenson snatches the teen off the ground, drags her, and then forcefully shoves her into the passenger seat of a Cadillac. He slams the car door and races to the driver’s side while the witness stands nearby.
The teen opens the door and tries to run, but Stevenson grabs the sex trafficking victim and violently tosses her back in the car.
Now, more witnesses gather around the commotion.
The girl exits the vehicle again, but now there are too many people watching for Stevenson to continue his abuse. Stevenson speeds off.
Law enforcement finally arrested Stevenson.
Earlier this month, Stevenson was convicted of trafficking women, assault, and aggravated kidnapping.
Stevenson had previous criminal convictions of assault-family violence by impeding breathing and assault-family violence with a previous conviction, according to WFAA.
Stevenson was sentenced to 59 years in prison.
Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis told KTVT, “It’s a parent’s worst nightmare for their own child to be forcibly prostituted by a human trafficker. We’ve now secured justice by forcing that trafficker to pay the consequences.”
Willis said Stevenson kidnapped the girl when she was only 16 years old. There were reportedly two other females who were forced into prostitution by the pimp.
Stevenson openly boasted on social media that he was a pimp. He even bragged about forcing his victims to get loyalty tattoos and threatening them if they attempted to leave.
Willis commended the Texans who got involved in the brutal attack in the parking lot, “I’m so proud of those citizens that were there and didn’t run away and didn’t turn a blind eye.”
17-year-old escapes human trafficker at the Shops at Legacy www.youtube.com