Michigan Man Accused of Attempted Kidnapping Shocks Courtroom with Crude Gesture

Endi Bala, a 25‑year‑old who arrived in the United States from Albania as a teenager, stood before a Mount Clemens judge on Monday facing serious charges of kidnapping and child enticement. The accusations stem from a frantic August 2024 episode in which he reportedly tried to force a seven‑year‑old girl, Olivia, and a fifteen‑year‑old, Alexis, into his vehicle within a span of just 45 minutes.

According to the Macomb Daily, Bala had initially agreed to a no‑contest plea, but at the very last minute he balked. “You don’t want to enter a plea today?” Judge Matthew Sabaugh asked, to which Bala simply shook his head and answered, “No.” His attorney, Samuel Bennett, later tried to explain the sudden flip‑flop, saying the defendant changed his mind after a private conference.

The courtroom quickly spiraled into chaos. When Bala’s lawyer told him to be quiet, the defendant allegedly snapped, “Shut your mouth,” prompting the judge to sternly warn, “You are not going to communicate with anyone in the gallery, sir.”

But the most jaw‑dropping moment came as bailiffs escorted Bala out. Eyewitnesses say he turned toward the terrified families and gave them a middle‑finger salute, a gesture that left mothers and aunts in tears and disbelief. “Unbelievable,” Olivia’s mother Coryne Childers said, her voice shaking. “He smiles at us, flicks us off, and then pretends the whole thing is a game.”

Even after the courtroom drama, Bala managed to slip a sarcastic comment to Olivia’s aunt, Alecia Swejkowski, when she mentioned that his next hearing clashed with her son’s birthday. “Happy birthday to your son,” he quipped, an affront that only deepened the family’s anger.

Prosecutors say the crimes could earn Bala a life sentence if he’s convicted. Alexis told reporters how Bala tried to drag her into his car after she refused his offer to “walk her home” twice. “He grabbed my wrist and said, ‘I’m going to mess you up,’” she recalled. A passerby, Paul Billiter, intervened just in time, allowing the frightened teen to break free.

Olivia’s rescue was equally dramatic. While riding her bike with Aunt Swejkowski in Sterling Heights, Bala lunged, seized the child, and attempted to shove her into his vehicle. Swejkowski fought back, striking him on the head and wrestling for control of the steering wheel. A nearby motorist eventually blocked Bala’s car, giving the aunt a chance to pull Olivia out. “It was the craziest moment of our lives,” Swejkowski said, still trembling.

Legal proceedings are now moving forward. Bala’s pre‑trial hearing is slated for August 24, with a potential trial date in October. He was deemed competent to stand trial, despite a prior psychiatric evaluation that labeled him “legally insane” at the time of the alleged offenses. The judge, however, rejected an insanity plea.

While Bala remains behind bars—having already served nearly two years—his conduct behind bars has drawn further scrutiny. Officials say he allegedly vandalized cell‑phone equipment, smashed a tablet, and even flooded his cell with waste. Immigration officials have reportedly told the victims’ families that Bala could be deported after he finishes any prison term, a prospect that has sparked mixed reactions. Some, like Swejkowski, are calling for a life‑sentence, terrified that the man could ever be released.

For the families, the priority is clear: bring a swift resolution and protect other children from the same horror. “Let’s just go to trial in October and be done with it,” Alexis’s grandmother Lori DeMars pleaded, adding that Bala’s courtroom tantrums feel like “a two‑year‑old’s fit.”