OLYMPIA, Wash. -- An 11-year-old girl and her dad are being called heroes for catching a man accused of luring children in Thurston County.

Angelina VanTiem, 11, and her 12-year-old friend said they were at a Lacey park Sunday when a man exposed and touched himself in a sexual way. She said he also tried to lure them.

"He parked on the curb and said get in my car now," VanTiem said.

Instead they ran home.

“As soon as she came in she was in tears and said there was this guy who was playing with himself," said Angelina’s father, Bruce VanTiem.

Angelina's dad got in his car with the girls and went looking for the man. They found him at nearby Rainier Vista Park.

"That's when my daughter says there he is and he was just starting to talk to these other two girls," said Bruce VanTiem.

The girl's father confronted the man who got in his car and took off. The victim's dad drove after him while his daughter called 911.

"I told her my dad was chasing after this dude," Angelina said.

The girl's father waved to a police officer by a Lacey intersection, where the suspect, Thierry Criswell, was taken into custody.

The VanTiems said they are thankful they were able help take Criswell off the streets.

"If I hadn't taken action when I did he probably would have pulled a kid into his vehicle or done something worse," Bruce VanTiem said.

According to court documents, another eyewitness said Criswell may have also exposed himself to other girls at the park.

Criswell told police when he was arrested that he had done nothing wrong.