A 13-year-old Michigan boy helped save his younger sister from a kidnapper this week when he shot the suspect with his slingshot after she broke free.

Michigan State Police said the 8-year-old girl was mushroom hunting in her Alpena County backyard on Wednesday when “an unknown male appeared from the woods,” ABC News reported.

The suspect held her mouth shut, but she broke free and as she did, her brother — who saw the attack — aimed his slingshot, striking the attacker in the head and chest.

“He was able to grab his slingshot and was able to slingshot something that hit hit the suspect right in the head. And that caused him to let go,” Alpena Post Commander Lt. John Grimshaw of the Michigan State Police told WWTV. “The girl was able to struggle and get away and he shot another one hit the suspect in the chest and then fled the scene.”

Troopers later found him hiding at a nearby gas station.

“What (the brother) did also helped us to identify who the suspect was, because obviously he had injuries from getting hit with a slingshot,” Grimshaw said.

The suspect was identified as a 17-year-old from Alpena who allegedly told detectives he “planned on severely beating the victim,” police said, according to ABC.

The teen was arraigned Thursday, charged with one count of attempted kidnapping, one count of attempted assault, and one count of assault and battery. He was ordered held on a $150,000 bond with a next court date set for May 17.

Police said the suspect is being charged as an adult but they have not released his name.

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[Featured image: Pixabay]