Teenager hailed as 'hero' for saving a woman being kidnapped - by buying her captor lunch

Malyk Bonnet, a 17-year-old from Montreal, intervened when he saw a couple arguing

(Laval Police Department)

Police have praised the quick thinking of a teenager in Canada who saved a woman being kidnapped by befriending her captor.

Malyk Bonnet, a 17-year-old from Montreal, was called a "hero" after he sensed something was wrong when he spotted a man and a woman arguing at a bus stop.

Bonnet took the bus with the couple and even bought them lunch before he had an opportunity to call police. It turned out the man, who police described as "very dangerous", was wanted for abducting his ex-girlfriend hours earlier.

Describing what first caught his attention about the couple, Bonnet told CBC News: "The guy was screaming at her, the girl. He wasn't really gentle with her and I started watching because I thought he would hit her, so I approached them a little bit."

When he was asked for a fare to a nearby town by the man, he pretended he was taking the same route - and when they arrived he offered to buy them lunch in a restaurant.

"My plan was to keep them in a public space where he wouldn't hurt her," Bonnet said. "I decided to be friendly with the man and have him think I was his friend. I played my game and he seemed to trust me."

Police in the town, just outside Montreal, received a call from Bonnet saying he believed he was with someone who was being kidnapped. They were already looking for a 29-year-old woman of the exact same description.

The man has previously been imprisoned for assaulting his ex-girlfriend and sending her death threats. According to the Canadian Women's Foundation, half of women in Canada have experience at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16.

Bonnet was unable to speak to the woman before police arrived, but said he could see she was relieved.

"We made eye contact and she had tears in her eyes," he told CBC. "She was really happy."

Police lieutenant David Guerin said the quick-thinking youth's actions may have saved the woman's life. He added in interview with CBC News: "Bonnet now has 500 new friends in our department."