‘Help me.’ A kidnapped girl was sexually assaulted, then someone saw her sign, cops in California say

A 13-year-old girl was near a bus stop in Texas when a man approached her and demanded she get into his vehicle at gunpoint, authorities said.

According to a July 20 news release from the Long Beach Police Department, she was sexually assaulted while the man was driving her from San Antonio to Long Beach, California.

Three days after the teen’s abduction, on July 9, she was seen in a vehicle parked in a Long Beach parking lot, according to authorities. She was holding a piece of paper with the words “Help me” written on it.

According to the release, the good Samaritans immediately called 911.

Officers responded to the area around 10:20 a.m. Sunday and arrested Steven Robert Sabalan, 61, of Cleburne, Texas, authorities said. Cleburne is approximately 50 miles southwest of downtown Dallas.

“Detectives and the Sexual Assault Response Team immediately responded and began investigating the incident,” the release said. “Through their investigation, investigators have gathered sufficient information that the victim was sexually assaulted while the suspect was transporting her across state lines from San Antonio to Long Beach. Investigators also recovered a replica firearm that resembled a semi-automatic pistol inside the suspect vehicle.”

Sabalan was booked into the Long Beach City Jail on charges of kidnapping, lewd and lascivious acts with a child and evading justice.

The Department of Children and Family Services took custody of the teen, authorities said.

An FBI-led investigation is underway.

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