China. On the front lines of a growing rebellion. And emrata, the super model turning heads, raising eyebrows, and redefining what it means to be a feminist. Choosing to represent your body however you choose is an empowering thing. Here now, byron pitts. Good evening. Thank you for joining us. Imagine having your daughter snatched in broad daylight. Only a tiny fraction of cases out of hundreds of thousands every year. Tonight, Pierre Thomas gives us a look at how a community of heroes came together to bring that little girl home. Reporter racing through the night streets, the destination an unremarkable hotel in the suburbs of ft. Worth, texas. Can you get me in real quick . Do you have the room information for room 333 . I need it fast. Reporter the target, a small room on the third floor. Matches the description. Reporter the mission, to prevent a truly worstcase scenario. Tonight, eight hours that captivated a city. Exclusive access inside a police raid with a little girls life on the line. Never before seen body cam footage of the final confrontation. When every second matters. Open the door hands, let me see your hands. Hey, there she is. We got her. We got her. Reporter dallas ft. Worth, home to more than 7 1 2 million people, many of them living in qui quiet neighborhoods like this one. Mile of mile of driveways and backyards. But the sense of safety was shattered in on a summer evening back in may. A car just drove off, they just kidnapped my daughter. Please help me. Reporter do you recall where you were when you got the call . I was at home. I just knew this case was different. Reporter the detective on call that day got the report, an 8yearold girl snatched out of her mothers arms. Oh, my god. My daughter was kidnapped. We need to find her now. He grabbed her and pushed me out of the car, and he has her. Please, i cant let he be gone. Please. Please. Reporter officers race to the scene, finding the mother but also an accidental piece of evidence. One that could be critical to tracking down the kidnapper. Help me help me, please my daughter just got kidnapped. Reporter the crime was captured on a doorbell camera, showing the crime in progress. You see the woman fall on to the street as the car drives away. Then she pops up yelling for help. You have a rare combination of youre a mom and a detective. I was a detective before and after i was a mom. After i became a mother, that protective sense just grew. I can relate more to the cases and how the people were feeling. Breaking news out of ft. Worth, where police say a little girl is missing. This is security footage from a neighborhood home. Reporter did you feel the sense of urgency right off the bat . I knew we could not move fast enough. Reporter the case so heinous, federal authorities were immediately brought in. One of the most disturbing things was the randomness of it, and the horrifying brazenness of it. Reporter Chris Thompson is with a special task force investigating crimes against children. He saw something he wanted, executed on it, and unfortunately took the girl in plain sight. It seemed to escalate the level of concern for the minor victim. She may be in imminent danger. Reporter the mom could give a description of the suspect, but only a little about the car. What kind of vehicle were they in, maam . It was a gray vehicle. Reporter fortunately the doorbell cam provided clues. It was absolutely critical. It wasnt supposed to go off just from a passing car or from a person observed on the street. Reporter it only activated because the homeowner ran outside. But a make and model were narrowed down. Please give police a call. Reporter with that, the police and the community had something specific to look for. The response was amazing. Everybody is showing up. But it was still not enough. Were calling in additional resources. The Police Department takes this very seriously. Reporter did every minute, even every second, feel like an eternity . Thats the way i can describe it. I felt like time was my enemy. Time was flying by, i couldnt move fast enough. In an abduction, every minute that passes, the situation generally gets worse and worse for the victim. Every minute that passes, your likelihood of having a positive outcome goes down. Reporter were tips coming in . Absolutely, yes. Reporter dozens . Hundreds . I dont know the exact number, but our Communication Unit was overwhelmed. Reporter the 30yearold mother of two had no idea what she was walking into when she arrived for her shift at the ft. Worth dispatch center that night. It was very, very busy. I was a nervous wreck with it, because i could just only imagine me walking down the street and this happening to me and my child. Reporter by the time she got there, the manhunt was more than four hours old. I had heightened senses, because every call, im trying to get every piece of detail and see, okay, how should we process this . Is it just a broadcast . I just let our officers know, or should i send a call up . Do we need to check this out . Every call was like that, all the details. Reporter as dispatchers fielded call after call, crystal had no idea by the next morning, she would walk out the call center a hero. Something else crystal didnt know at that moment, just after midnight, someone had called 911 and reported they may have seen the suspect. Police officers responded to woodspring suites. The officers talked to the man in room 333, even went inside and reportedly searched for 90 seconds. But they didnt see a child, and left. We now know the kidnapped little girl was there, hidden in plain sight. We reached out to forest hill, and the city declined the comment. By then, most of the city was asleep. But luckily, not everyone. The people that came forward to assist in this, late, late, late, on a saturday night of their own accord were absolutely critical. Reporter around 2 00 a. M. , a new 911 call. My name is jeff king. On one end, crystal, and on the other end, a couple of men searching. We just found a ford 500 in the parking lot of a motel. It looks like theres blood in the front seat. He was more so, i dont know, in shock. I transferred him over to forest hill. Something told me to just keep listening on the call to see what was going on. Reporter normally her job would be done at that point. Her decision to stay on the call turns the tide. I stay on the call, and the operator was a female on the line. And it was like she already knew where he was at, what hotel it was. What seat is the one passenger seat. Front passenger seat has blood on it. I said, i dont know, this sounds like something we should check out. It wouldnt hurt for us to get out there. Reporter she gets the alert to ft. Worth police, and within minutes, shes tracking officer after officer as they arrive at the scene. Now all she can do isealize sus of it, and the officers did, too. Reporter was that the moment that led to the beginning of t end . Yes. Up next, inside the rescue operation. Open the [ bleep ] door and who Authorities Say is the biggest hero of them all. Tto harrison, the wine tcollection. To craig, this rock. I leave these things to my heirs, all 39 million of you, on one condition. That you do everything to preserve and protect them. With love, california. So that early retirement we planned. Its going ok . Great. Now im spending more time with the kids. Im introducing them to crab. Crab . They love it. So, you mentioned that that money we set aside. Yeah. The kids and i want to build our own crab shack. Ahhh, youre finally building that outdoor kitchen. Yup with room for the whole gang. See how investing with a j. P. Morgan advisor can help you. Visit your local chase branch. Needs somebody Everybody Needs somebody to love someone to love someone to love i got a little message for you. When you have that somebody, hold on to them, give them all your love. Wherever they are i need you, you, you i need you, you, you i need you, you, you i need you, you, you reporter its nearly 2 00 in the morning in ft. Worth, texas. Eight hours into the manhunt to find a kidnapper and to rescue the little girl he abducted. At this moment, a 911 call has police racing toward hope. This officers body camera is rolling as his squad car approaches a hotel in an outer suburb. Why dont you put your lights back on . If this guys looking out the windows, im not trying to let him see that were rolling around. Reporter once parked, time is of the essence. The officers must figure out if they have the right place and the right suspect. They immediately check out the vehicle reported in the 911 call and what looks like blood in the front passenger seat. Armed with the room number from the original 911 call, the officer with the body camera heads inside. Only to find the front desk shuttered for the night. Can you can get me in real quick . Can you get me in real quick . Do you work here . Yes. Do you have the room information for room 333 . I need it, like, fast. Okay. Reporter provided in that paperwork, a copy of the mans license. 224 adb. It matches the description. Reporter at this point, just minutes after arriving on scene, a group of police and Task Force Agents have enough information to make an attempt to get inside room 333. They of course were exposing themselves to dangers. We knew very little about the subject. We didnt know if he was sitting behind there with a rifle. Open the door. But i seriously doubt if any of them even give it a passing thought. Their mission at that point in their lives was to get in that door and find that girl. Open the door Police Department open the door hold on, man. Im getting dressed. Open the [ bleep ] door break it. Open it [ bleep ]. Hands let me see your hands step out here step out reporter the suspect is pulled out of the room. The team then rushes in searching for the girl, who is nowhere to be seen. Here she is got her. We got her. We got her. We got her. Reporter the officers relief and excitement clear as they tell everyone, the girl is here and alive. Whoo in custody. We have her. [ bleep ]. The little girl had been forced to hide in a storage bucket, covered in dirty laundry. It was the same trick that worked the First Time Police searched room 333. We got her. Reporter but it did not work this time. The subject had actually threatened the victim we need amt that he was going to harm her and her family if she made any sort of outcry or tried to notify the police. Can we get her out . Come on, sweetheart. Youre okay . Yeah. Youre safe. Weve got you. Youre going to be okay. [ bleep ]. Reporter their excitement clearly tempered by the anger and anxiety that someone would kidnap and attack a child. Lets get her in here so she can sit down. Do me a favor. Reporter that man right there, the Good Samaritan who made the 911 call, a pastor who actually knows the family. On the phone with the girls dad. Delivering the good news. Police officer m 727. Whats the address . Reporter back at the call and dispatch center, crystal merrill finally found out what happened. Oh, man. It was like a ton of bricks had been knocked off of me. I took a moment. I did cry at work, like after they found the girl. I think it was just because my adrenaline was so high and a sense of like, oh, we found her. Reporter she got emotional again when she got home. Realizing her determination helped return a child to her mothers loving arms. I went straight in and i just hugged my babies and i was crying. Im getting emotional now thinking about it. And i was crying. It was just a lot. You could just think, oh, that could have been me. And it was good to know my babies were at home. But that little girl, she didnt get to she wasnt at home with her mom. She wasnt safe. But thanks to you, she was. Now. I just say it was it was god. God. God led all of that. I went home at the breakfast table. And everything that i wouldnt allow myself to feel that night, it hit me and i felt it. Reporter were you able to hug your kids . Yes. Yes. Very much so. Reporter in the aftermath of the arrest, u. S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox picked up the case. Im a mother of three children, all girls, one of whom is an 8yearold, just like the victim in this case. Reporter youre kidding. No. And so to me, it was important to bring this particular defendant to justice. Reporter nealy cox tried the case personally, getting an indictment on federal kidnapping charges. Reporter did you find yourselves in in brief moments thinking about what the mom was going through . Oh, absolutely. I mean, we we met with the family, who is just so courageous and inspirational to me personally about how they were dealing with this. Reporter the 51yearold suspect pleaded not guilty. But in court, nealy cox played parts of his Police Interrogation tape. I scoped it out pretty good. Reporter where he admitted to kidnapping the girl. It took a jury just ten minutes to convict him. He was later sentenced to life in prison. Nobodys ever going to be victimized by this man again. If youre sitting at home and that amber alert goes off on your phone, it doesnt mean you cant do something. Reporter nealy cox says the case has had a profound impact on not just her but everyone involved. Especially those officers there at the rescue. And some of them are still dealing with the memories of that day. They really dealt with it like they would their own child and finding this child. Reporter but for Erin Nealy Cox, amelia heise, crystal merrill, and all those officers the real measure of success is not found in a courtroom. Its making sure that the youngest hero, a little girl who was kidnapped and terrorized, can do more than just survive, she can thrive. Shes definitely the hero of this story. Shes shes doing great. I mean, shes incredibly resilient. Shes got the love of a strong family, who are just as brave as she is. And i, like you, think shes going to do extraordinary things with me for the rest of my life. I look forward to seeing her grow and to see her experience all the wonderful things that life can can give to her from here on out. Reporter for nightline, im Pierre Thomas in ft. Worth, texas. Coming up, citizen x. One demonstrator fighting against a crackdown on democracy in hong kong. Is your business still settling for slow internet . Well time is money. Switch to comcast business now and get a great deal when you get fast, reliable internet. With a 30day moneyback guarantee, installation when it works for you, and 24 7 customer support. So what are you waiting for . Get this great deal when you sign up for fast, reliable internet. Call 18005016000 today. Comcast business. Beyond fast. New trouble with china. President trump signing two bills in support of hong kongs prodemocracy protesters. The president has been walking a tightrope on this rebellion as he embraces his friendship with chinas communist president xi. Tonight, ian pannell takes us inside the fight for freedom. Reporter into the heart of a growing rebellion. Through the gates of a Major College campus, littered with trash, barricaded with chairs. And a makeshift checkpoint for all who dare enter hong kongs uprising. Do you want to look in my bag . As we move through this college quarters, the air is thick with the steal stale smell of beer. Perhaps not uncommon at many universities. But in hong kong, the students arent drinking it, theyre pouring it out. And everywhere we turn, it becomes clear what the bottles are used for. Weve walked into a bombmaking factory. Turning beer bottles into molotov cocktails to use against police. Have you been testing them over here . Yes. This is actually my first time. Reporter their practice range, an olympicsized pool. Weve been covering the protests in hong kong since they began and seen this modern metropolis descend into a city of fire. As local citizens fight back against chinas growing influence and control. Just stay back. Back in august we met this man. You wont stop. We wont stop. Reporter hes a student, but i cant say what hes studying. Hes young, but im not allowed to tell you his age. Hes a protester, but i wont give you his name. He fears for his safety, so ive dubbed him citizen x. Im born and grown in hong kong. I love how special it is. I love the freedom that we are enjoying, and i dont want hong kong to become just like another city of china. Reporter we interviewed him at a secret location, hiding his going beyond what you see on tv into the mind of a homegrown dissident. Some people say we are a group of people chosen by this era, chosen by history. This is our home, and we have to use every measure for us to protect our home. Reporter hes one of tens of thousands of students in hong kong forced to decide what is freedom worth and what are you willing to sacrifice to get it . Are you willing to risk your liberty for that . Im willing to be put in a jail for months. When were talking about ten years of imprisonment, im not mentally prepared for that. Reporter what is your goal . Are you trying to get independence . We are trying to get freedom and true democracy. Reporter its 30 years since students first dared the communist party. Tianmen square, one image seared into the global conscience. One lone man defiant against a column of tanks and an entire system. Hong kong was free from those shows of force until 1997, when britain handed control of the city to china. Beijing promised to let hong kong govern itself for 50 years, but its been an uneasy compromise. This year tensions erupted when a law was proposed to allow hong kong citizens to be extradited to Mainland China to stand trial. The law never passed but it lit a fuse. Hong kong residents were angry, accusing china of rolling back their freedoms, and hostility between police and protesters rapidly escalated. Citizen x is part of the vanguard of the protest movement. They call themselves the valiants, or the brave. Those who hold the front line and forcibly confront police. We have no other options but to win. This is our home, and we have to use every measure for us to protect our home. Reporter we met up with x again ahead of another protest. He and his group began by coordinating at a shopping center, discussing tactics. Part ninja, part anime warrior. Having no leader in this movement is the key essence. The government cannot predict, the police cannot predict. Reporter the crowd is like an organic beast. We head out to the front line. Police are going to charge. Lets go off to one side. Lets hunker down over here. Tear gas canisters right behind you. We try to stay with x, but in the swirl of tear gas, rubber bullets, and chaos, hes gone. Okay. Tear gas. Move, move. These are just crazy scenes here in central hong kong. Everyones running. Move, lets go to the side. One month later, i ran into x at another protest. No time to talk. Another pitched battle and x takes off, disappearing into the mob. It will be the last time i saw him in person. [ bleep ]. Reporter move back. Were pr