OGDEN, Utah — An armed employee at an Ogden elementary school stopped an attempted kidnapping Tuesday.
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Police say Ira Cox-Berry, 41, grabbed an 11-year-old girl on the school's playground and attempted to pull her away. The school employee confronted Cox-Berry and was able to take the child and bring her inside the building.
While still outside, Cox-Berry allegedly began punching the window as a way to force himself inside the school. To discourage any further attempts, the employee showed Cox-Berry he was in possession of a firearm and called 911.
Cox-Berry was taken into custody following a brief struggle and was booked into the Weber County Jail on one count of attempted child kidnapping.
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Investigators with the Ogden Police Department have not identified a link between Cox-Berry and the girl.
The school employee is a Concealed Firearm Permit holder and legally allowed to possess the gun.
