Stranger Danger!

By tried to help - 07/10/2019 00:01

Today, I was going into a store and saw a woman roughly handling a screaming toddler. I kept walking, until I heard the kid scream, "Help! You’re not my mommy!” I called 911 and stood behind the car to keep her from taking off. The cops arrived to see me fending off blows from a very pissed off grandma. FML
I agree, your life sucks 2 505
You deserved it 655
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Top comments

Felice Godin 19

better be safe than sorry cause you never know who that person is that is taking the child it could been easily a stranger instead a pissed off grandma

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Comments

Felice Godin 19

better be safe than sorry cause you never know who that person is that is taking the child it could been easily a stranger instead a pissed off grandma

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Ashamed_Sister 60

Exactly! A kid screaming "Help! You’re not my mommy!” provides reasonable cause for calling 911, and the grandmother should be held legally accountable for the blows he had to fend off.

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leximichelle 13

Tbh, I’d have asked the woman her relationship to the child before calling police. Generally, kidnappers are more friendly and kind to children their trying to abduct so as not to cause a scene like you witnessed. If grandma was handing kid roughly, it’s typically someone the child is related to or is taking care of the child. Your heart’s in the right place; next time just think about the situation before acting to rashly.

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Mungolikecandy 19

The downside to that is people lie. Especially the type of people who would take a child.

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SevieCookie 14

In response to this, i'd like to point you in the direction of the case of James Bulger, a 2 year old boy in England abducted and murdered by two 10 year old boys. A grandmother stopped the boys as the little one was crying and asked if they were related to the little one. They told her they were his brothers and looking for their mother or something like that. Unfortunately the grandmother didn't wait around and call the police as her grandchild was making a fuss and she made the mistake of accepting it. She will forever feel that guilt that if she had stopped them from taking the boy, he wouldn't have been tortured and killed and would be 29 years old now. Its a very very sad case, but one that shows you're wrong in saying to not act rashly and ask the relationship first, because if 10 year old boys can lie and get away with it to end up killing another child, then you can bet an adult would be able to lie just as well. Good on OP for acting.

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RichardPencil 30

You were brave enough to stand behind a car to prevent her from taking off, but lacked the balls to confront a granny in the store where you could make a difference? You should have just move over several aisles and just crouch down and snivel until the danger passed.

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newwitch2010 11

Like so many armchair heroes until you've been in that situation you have absolutely nothing worth listening to to say on the matter.

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pins91 27

You always seem to have something negative to say.

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tounces7 27

Honestly I hope the kid is severely punished for pulling a stunt like that. If he gets the idea that crying wolf can get him attention, it's going to be really bad for the long term.

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Mungolikecandy 19

You did the right thing. You could have walked on but think how you would have felt if you had seen that child on a news report the next day.

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jbuckets_404 38

Kids are getting younger & younger these days when learning that they can easily get adult relatives into trouble by claiming to be abducted or that they can't be disciplined when threatening to contact Child Services. The proverbial pendulum has swung the other way per intra-familial relationships.... :-(

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Compass5000 5

You absolutely did the right thing! I hope you'll react in exactly the same way if you hear a kid scream for help in the future.

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julfunky 29

I read a story somewhere that a guy had a daughter try this on him and he said “ok” and walked away. She ended up chasing him down. I’m guessing that would work with a lot of kids.

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Traveling_Book 9

Made the right call. I’d be more pissed that the grandma started to try and assault you. Guess I can see why the kid didn’t want to go with her.

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