The suspect, Tyler Wayne Holloway, is alleged to have stabbed Carissa, a family member, several times in February. During the attack, Carissa recalled telling her daughter, Ariana, to move away, but the little girl “refused.”
Ariana jumped on the suspect’s back, which startled him and he ran away.
“I didn’t want her to be hurt,” Ariana told 11Alive.
“He just kind of snapped out of his psychosis, or whatever it was, briefly,” Carissa said. “Once he realized she was there, he quickly ran off.”
After a short manhunt, Cherokee Sheriff’s Office deputies in Georgia found the suspect in the woods and arrested him. He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated battery, two counts of cruelty to children, and one count of family violence battery.
He negotiated a deal where he will serve 30 years, the first 15 being served in prison.
Recently, Ariana was honored for her heroic actions.
“This little girl was incredibly brave during the horrific attack on her mother. She not only attempted to stop him from attacking her mother, she also participated in the 911 call and helped her mother after the attack,” Assistant District Attorney Rachel Ashe said, according to Cherokee Tribune & Ledger-News.
During a ceremony, Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds presented Ariana with a “Medal of Bravery” for jumping on her mother’s attacker and stopping the attack.
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Carissa is extremely thankful for her daughter.
“I believe that she saved my life.”
What a brave little girl!
She deserves all the recognition she can get for saving her mother’s life. Share this on Facebook to thank this little hero.