A Charlotte teenager who tried to take a 7-year-old girl from her north Charlotte apartment complex will not go to prison.

Prosecutors agreed to a plea deal with Matthew Cruz, 18, that puts him on three years probation and requires that he undergo mental health evaluation and treatment.

Cruz had picked up the girl at an apartment complex near Northlake Mall in April and put her over his shoulder before she was able to break free and run for help.

He was charged with kidnapping and assault but the charges were reduced to attempted child abduction as part of his plea deal.

"Prosecutors in our office, myself included, had considerable discussion with CMPD about how to handle this case," said assistant district attorney Jeff Davis.

Davis said they agreed to the reduced charge because Cruz only had the girl for a matter of moments and it would have been difficult to prove what he intended to do with her.

"With kidnapping you have to be able to show that there's a specific purpose in mind," Davis said.

As part of his probation, Cruz has been banned from the apartment complex and from having any contact with the girl or her family.

People living in his neighborhood had not heard about his sentence and some were surprised.

"I have two little girls of my own," Jerald White said," so that concerns me."