Man Who Abducted Teenage Girl At Willow Grove Mall Sentenced

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA —A Philadelphia man who abducted a teenage girl at the Willow Grove Mall last year has been sentenced to serve up to 10 years in prison, authorities said.

Khalilh Evans, 44, of Philadelphia, faces between 3.5 years and 10 years in prison for false imprisonment and harassment charges for the incident last July at the Willow Grove Park Mall on 2500 Moreland Rd.

Evans was sentenced last Wednesday to state prison by Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Judge Wendy Rothstein, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

A 14-year-old girl was going from the mall's second floor to the first floor on the escalator when a man who identified himself as "Alex" approached her, according to Abington Police.

Evans asked the girl to walk with him and extended his arm in an apparent attempt to escort her, police said.

She told Evans she was underage and tried to walk away from him, but when she did, he grabbed her arm and led her across the mall, police said.

She was later able to escape Evans and scream, which led bystanders to step in and prevent Evans from reaching the girl again, police said.

Authorities said Evans was on probation in Philadelphia at the time of the incident.

Police said Evans has a 28-page rap sheet including weapons offenses, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, eluding police, and more.