The young Yemeni immigrant manning the cash register at a Sunoco gas station in Detroit struggles at time with his English, but police say he immediately understood when the 16-year-old girl seeking to buy cigarettes silently mouthed the word \u201chelp.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now Abdulrahman Abohatem is being hailed as a hero for saving that teenager from a suspected rapist who allegedly abducted her at gunpoint last week. And the local Yemeni-American business community is showing its appreciation by raising money to help him defray the costs of his upcoming wedding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are all very proud of him,\u201d said Mohammed Alsanai, principal of the Frontier International Academy in Hamtramck, which is where the teenager attends school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alsanai on Monday said the school recently hosted a ceremony where Abohatem was awarded a \u201cKnight Medal\u201d for his quick-thinking response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Abohatem told local reporters that being able to help a teenager in danger was reward enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI feel good when you save somebody,\u201d he told the ABC News affiliate WXYZ-TV. \u201cSixteen years old \u2014 she is a child.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The suspect, 48-year-old Donald James Joseph Arthur Fields of Hamtramck, has been charged with two counts of criminal sexual conduct first degree, kidnapping, one count of felonious assault, three counts of felony firearm and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fields is being held without bond in the Wayne County Jail, Hamtramck Police Chief Hussein Farhat said after Fields was arrested last Monday, the day of the incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The suspect is \u201ca criminal who had a history of rape charges, and we will make sure he gets what he deserves,\u201d Hamtramck Mayor Adam Alharbi said after Fields’ arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fields, according to available records, was charged in February 2024 by authorities in Michigan with criminal sexual conduct\/second-degree assault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are also two arrests on his rap sheet for first-degree home invasion in Michigan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Hamtramck Police Department did not immediately respond to an inquiry seeking more details about Fields’ previous arrests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 16-year-old was waiting for a bus to school when Fields forced her at gunpoint into his van and drove away, police said. But this did not go unnoticed. Another female student who saw what happened immediately called 911.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While police were responding to the reported kidnapping, Fields allegedly assaulted the teenager in his van and then drove with her to the gas station across the city line in Detroit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, officers arriving at the school encountered several students who were already using their cellphones to track the missing girl through a social media app, police said and Alsanai confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe whole room froze when we realized we knew where she was,\u201d the principal said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Armed with that information, police headed for the Sunoco, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By then, Fields and the teenager were already inside the gas station\u2019s convenience store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the suspect told the 16-year-old girl to pay for the cigarettes, Abohatem told WXYZ-TV he was immediately suspicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI stop and go, ‘There\u2019s something wrong,’\u201d he said. \u201cAnd she mouthed talked to me, like with no sound, \u2018Help.’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Abohatem said he stepped out from behind the store\u2019s protective glass and stepped in between Fields and the teenager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI go out, I kick him out,\u201d Abohatem said of the suspect. \u201cI ask the girl, \u2018Go behind me.’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fields quickly fled and was heading back to his van with Abohatem hot on his heels when Hamtramck police officers arrived and took the suspect into custody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI see the police outside. I point to him. I go, \u2018That\u2019s the guy,’\u201d Abohatem said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police quickly handcuffed Fields and then confiscated his van and a handgun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said the teenager was the victim of a seemingly random attack and praised her for keeping her cool even after she was assaulted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur young survivor in this case was simply walking in broad daylight when she was viciously attacked and sexually assaulted,\u201d Worthy said in a statement. \u201cDespite what she had just gone through, her quick thinking and mental toughness saved her life. We cannot reverse what happened to her, but we can work hard to bring justice to her. \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n