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[AuthenticM]

From The Washington Post

Lakeland police, in a Facebook post, said the falsely accused man was visiting friends at a softball game when he noticed at a 2-year-old had gotten separated from her parents. She was “wandering by herself,” police said, and the man “believed that she was lost.

“The citizen attempted to ask the girl where her parents were and walked with her in hopes she could point them out,” the statement said, a fact verified by at least one independent witness.

At that point, “bystanders” told the parents that the man was “attempting to kidnap the child,” said police.

As the two were nearing the playground, three men approached them from behind, Patch reported. One man grabbed the girl and the other man, who is the child’s father, punched the man five or six times.

“I thought he was trying to take my daughter,” the girl’s father told News Channel 8.

“I saw this man with my daughter in his hands walking toward the parking lot. What would you do?” the father asked. “I wanted to kill him.”

Police concluded that the man was only trying to help. “We had an independent eyewitness that saw him walking around, asking, ‘Is this your parents? Is that your father?’” Sgt. Gary Gross with the Lakeland Police Department told Fox 13 News.

The father and his friends were not satisfied with the man’s explanation or that of the police. “So, I guess in Lakeland, you can kidnap a child and get away with it,” the father said to police, local media reported. The police report, local media said, described the father as “increasingly agitated.”

According to WFLA, other media outlets and police, family members and friends went on social media and shared the man’s photo, his Facebook page and his place of business, “calling him a child predator,” WFLA said.

The good Samaritan told several local outlets that he has now left town with his family for their safety. He says he will not press charges against the father.

The father made no apologies for his actions but told The Post, “All that matters is that my daughter is home safely.”

 

[Durrzerker]

Wow, try to help someone and have your life potentially ruined. The father is a huge asshole.

 

[Ashes]

Father sounds like a loser.

 

[Izuna]

Why would you ask the child?

My instincts are to ask whoever is in charge to be aware or a couple if it is their child.

It's fucked up what happened but at the same time, what was he thinking?

 

[RustyNails]

This is why bad things happen. Adrenaline fueled morons like the father have chilling effect on bystanders.

 

[Azerth]

And this is why people dont help others. Do the right thing get punched and labled a predator

 

[Jonnax]

If I saw a lost child, I ain't going to even approach.
I'd consider calling the police or if a woman is nearby, I'd ask her.
Don't want to get my head kicked in.

 

[Dude Abides]

Why would you ask the child?

My instincts are to ask whoever is in charge to be aware or a couple if it is their child.

It's fucked up what happened but at the same time, what was he thinking?

The fuck are you talking about? The kid was wandering by herself.

 

[LakeEarth]

There was that story of a trucker who saw a little girl wandering by herself, and he didn't stop because he didn't want to be mistaken as a child predator. The girl later drowned, and is always an example I used to point out the current hysteria regarding child over-protection / 'all males are predators' thinking. But then this shit happens.

 

[SwiftDeath]

And yet no one is blaming the parents for apparently losing their child in the first place

Father honestly seemed to be projecting his own failures

 

[HStallion]

Father sounds like he is trying to make a big stink out of this person doing the right thing to cover up for the fact his daughter got away from him. That and the fact he looks like an asshole for beating on a guy trying to help.

 

[negreenfield]

My guess is dude lost his daughter when he was supposed to be watching her and is covering his ass by stating something like this other guy was kidnapping her.

 

[Ponn]

Reinforcing bystander effect.

 

[Izuna]

This is why bad things happen. Adrenaline fueled morons like the father have chilling effect on bystanders.

I wonder if the Father is being a dick after the misunderstanding to try and justify the fact that he battered an innocent dude.

 

[Pastry]

I would absolutely press charges against this guy , sounds like a huge asshole.

 

[Woetyler]

The fact that you now have to be afraid to help a lost child is sad.

 

[kirblar]

There was that story of a trucker who saw a little girl wandering by herself, and he didn't stop because he didn't want to be mistaken as a child predator. The girl later drowned, and is always an example I used to point out the current hysteria regarding child over-protection. But then this shit happens.

This isn't an issue regarding child over-protection, it's an issue of seeing all men as sexual predators.

 

[beta_fuse]

Shitty ass human being that father is.

 

[L Thammy]

There's a bunch of research showing that men are afraid of helping lost kids because we think we'll be mistaken for child predators, so... uh, I guess it's not totally irrational?

 

[RustyNails]

There was that story of a trucker who saw a little girl wandering by herself, and he didn't stop because he didn't want to be mistaken as a child predator. The girl later drowned, and is always an example I used to point out the current hysteria regarding child over-protection. But then this shit happens.

There was this gif of a kid drowning in swimming pool and an adult just wades by in the water. The kid was later saved, but I'm pretty sure this went through his mind as well.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Wow, try to help someone and have your life potentially ruined. The father is a huge asshole.

The guy who got punched had to leave town. So yeah more than potentially.

 

[Ivan 3414]

I guess this is the example of the "American paranoia" people have about kids, and why some people go out of their way to avoid even interacting in any fashion with children

 

[Hickbilly Deluxe]

The fact that you now have to be afraid to help a lost, afraid child is sad.

This is why I don't care how much distress a child is in, my ass it walking away. Not worth the potential headaches.

 

[LakeEarth]

This isn't an issue regarding child over-protection, it's an issue of seeing all men as sexual predators.

Well, it's linked, but what you said is more accurate. I'll edit.

 

[nitewulf]

Father seems to be extremely aggressive...not sure that's a good sign.

 

[norm9]

Hmm. Punching the guy that's trying to help your wandering kid is pretty bad. Posting his picture up and calling him a pedo is worse. Not apologizing after being the told and sticking to your guns is USA.

 

[Nivash]

"The father and his friends were not satisfied with the man’s explanation or that of the police. “So, I guess in Lakeland, you can kidnap a child and get away with it,” the father said to police, local media reported. The police report, local media said, described the father as “increasingly agitated.”

According to WFLA, other media outlets and police, family members and friends went on social media and shared the man’s photo, his Facebook page and his place of business, “calling him a child predator,” WFLA said."

So I guess that this genius never thought about the possibility that the good samaritan could have protected his daughter from an actual child predator? Or just the much, much more likely scenario that she could have wandered off and hurt herself?

Of course not, that would mean that he assaulted an innocent man who was helping him, which is unthinkable.

 

[tbm24]

Stories like this make me a bit weary to bring my daughter to the park just us two when she's older. I've had other fathers tell me the cops came up to them in the park because one of the mothers thought he was a predator then gave him a hard time trying to prove it was his daughter.

 

[Futureman]

I would press charges. Especially because 6 punches and family trying to shame him online.

 

[Pastry]

This is why I don't care how much distress a child is in, my ass it walking away. Not worth the potential headaches.

The easiest solution is to find a woman and ask her to help you, but yeah it's obviously a shitty situation.

 

[Eye for an Eye]

If the father was a decent human being he would have watched the man approach his child and diffuse the situation immediately. Obviously, he an idiot adult and idiot parent who can't watch his own kid.

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Samaritan should totally press charges against the asshole father.

 

[kamineko]

If that girl turns out to be a decent human being, it'll be in spite of her family

 

[BronsonLee]

'GIMME BACK MY SON'

'..uh...you mean your daughter?'

 

[Zaru]

“So, I guess in Lakeland, you can kidnap a child and get away with it,” the father said to police

Grand statement from a guy who lost sight of his 2 year old child.

 

[Dynomutt]

I don't keep a lawyer on retainer so I just mind my business. Too much shit can get you caught up these days. I know someone who stopped to help in an accident and ended getting dragged through a lawsuit for years.

Grand statement from a guy who lost sight of his 2 year old child.

Great way to deflect and deny responsibility.

 

[Loudninja]

The father and his friends were not satisfied with the man's explanation or that of the police. ”So, I guess in Lakeland, you can kidnap a child and get away with it," the father said to police, local media reported. The police report, local media said, described the father as ”increasingly agitated."

According to WFLA, other media outlets and police, family members and friends went on social media and shared the man's photo, his Facebook page and his place of business, ”calling him a child predator," WFLA said.

This is defamation of character the family 100% should be sued.

 

[Keri]

Obviously the father overreacted and shouldn't have physically attacked this man (or attacked his character on Facebook), but at the same time, if it looked like a stranger was walking with my child towards the parking lot, away from the location we were at, I'd absolutely assume the worst. So, I don't blame his initial skepticism and anger.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Florida Man strikes again.

 

[Sophia]

He should have pressed charges, both for the assault and the slander. : \

 

[RinsFury]

Father sounds like a worthless piece of shit. I would have sued the shit out of him.

 

[oxrock]

Soon the US will be like China where everyone will watch and ignore victims as they get run over by cars, robbed, raped, etc. All because helping only results in massive amounts of trouble, whether it be lawsuits, beat downs or going to jail for bullshit.

Why would you ask the child?

My instincts are to ask whoever is in charge to be aware or a couple if it is their child.

It's fucked up what happened but at the same time, what was he thinking?

victim blaming? come on man. Asking a kid to point out their parents seems like an ok plan to me.

 

[Saganator]

There's a bunch of research showing that men are afraid of helping lost kids because we think we'll be mistaken for child predators, so... uh, I guess it's not totally irrational?

Yup. Shit, the other day I drove by a couple young girls selling lemonade on their front yard. They were doing a cute little dance as people drove to get their attention, it was super cute, I was thirsty, and for a second I thought about stopping, but then I thought about the optics and just decided to nope it and kept going.

 

[Fury451]

This kind of bullshit is why I'm hesitant to help anybody. People getting shot or stabbed trying to protect others or break up a fight, stop harassment, everything seems like it's an unnecessary risk to do the right thing.
Especially with kids, the culture that everybody's a horrible sex predator around kids is ridiculous.

 

[Omegasquash]

Sounds like it's a father trying to cover his ass for being separated from his daughter.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

He should have pressed charges, both for the assault and the slander. : \

This. The father's a piece of shit.

 

[FantasticMrFoxdie]

I would absolutely press charges against this guy , sounds like a huge asshole.

This^

Not only is the guy an asshole, he is a terrible father.

 

[Skellig Gra]

This is why I'm glad I don't have a daughter. People will think I'm a predator if we are just playing in the park.

 

[bachikarn]

Wow what a piece of shit. The guy should totally be pressing charges. Fuck that guy.

 

[ghostofsparta]

The good Samaritan told several local outlets that he has now left town with his family for their safety. He says he will not press charges against the father

The father made no apologies for his actions but told The Post, “All that matters is that my daughter is home safely.”

-_-'