A National City man accused of attempted kidnapping was arraigned from his hospital bed Wednesday morning.
Mandelaaxe Watson-Newsome was run over by a car after allegedly attempting to kidnap a 14-year-old girl on East Plaza Boulevard Monday evening.
Police said he approached the girl and her cousin and tried to talk to them. He got out of his car, grabbed one of the girls and made a thrusting motion from behind her, prosecutors allege.
The other girl ran to family members to alert them to the incident. One of the family members stopped Watson-Newsome and punched him in the face.
He then ran off into the street, laid down and was struck by a car. Afterward, he got up and ran into a nearby restaurant where he was arrested.
Police said he was not seriously injured but he was still recovering in the hospital at the time of his arraignment Wednesday.
He pleaded not guilty.
