A disturbing incident that unfolded at the Willow Grove Park Mall culminated in justice being served as a man was sentenced to 3 1/2 to 10 years in prison for false imprisonment of a minor. Khalilh Evans, a 45-year-old from Philadelphia, was found guilty of grabbing and restraining a 14-year-old girl against her will in a terrifying encounter last summer.
The incident took place on July 12, 2023, around 7 p.m. when the teen got separated from her friends and encountered Evans on an escalator at the mall. Claiming his name was Alex and that he was 25 years old, Evans attempted to put his number in the girl’s phone. When she revealed her age, Evans disregarded her and physically restrained her as he tried to lead her across the mall’s first floor.
Fortunately, the quick-witted girl managed to break free from Evans’ grasp and called out for help from bystanders. Evans promptly fled the scene with another man in a dark gray minivan. However, thanks to the surveillance video footage from the mall, Evans was identified and surrendered to authorities the following day.
At the sentencing, Judge Wendy G. Rothstein emphasized Evans’ “horrible intentions” and admonished his predatory behavior towards a vulnerable child. Despite defense attorney Danton Lee Moyer’s plea for a lighter sentence on the grounds that the incident was merely an “awkward social interaction,” prosecutors pointed out the alarming 45-second encounter captured on video.
Abington Township Police Chief Patrick Molloy revealed that Evans had been the subject of multiple complaints from other girls who alleged similar unsettling encounters at the mall. Molloy expressed the disturbing nature of the crime, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding individuals against such predatory behavior.