Would you have called the police in this situation?

Yes of course! Why even question that?

I have never called the police for anything. I have always been a “mind my business” person.

I would have called. The kid could have been kidnapped.

I once witnessed a teen getting out of an SUV at a mall and she was crying and a woman, I assume her mother, drive after her, and they were screaming at each other, and the mother tried to pull her back towards the car. I turned to my husband and said maybe we should go and make sure she is ok, but within seconds someone else approached them, and a woman next to me said she had called the police. By the time I was in my own car the police were on the scene.

It was probably just a typical screaming teanage thing, but a bunch of us who witnessed it weren’t going to just ignore it.

Yes. Without a doubt.

Yes and I would have done everything I could to get that kid out of the car. You did the right thing. Any followup from the cops?

No follow up. I hope they found the woman. I was angry and scared at the same time.

Before or after I knocked that woman into next Tuesday?

what the fuck? She drove up onto your lawn and started assaulting her kid?

Yes, absolutely call the police.

Where I live calling for police’s help is a long protocol and when they do help you they’ll want you to compensate their efforts (a.k.a giving them money), so no, I will least likely to do that. Also, the existing culture where I live does not condemn disciplining kids with fists so when people see other people’s kids being beaten by their parents in public they’ll just think of it as regular parental discipline.

Don’t get me wrong, I want to help the kid if he is beaten badly but at the same time I want stay out of problem too by not infringing in to other people’s business.

You were right to call. I don’t usually but this was a pretty extreme case of parental abuse.

Of course. Never doubt your gut instinct. I hope your call helped the poor boy.

I would have had her at gunpoint until the police arrived.

I imagine the whole thing must have been very nerve wracking for you. It was a brave move. You did the right thing.

Yes. I would also have tried to get a video of it to give the police as evidence. I might have also intervened, depending on how severe the situation was and other details.

Of course you did the right thing, not that it probably made a bit of difference.

The only thing i’d question, but that’s not a criticism as everyone reacts differently in stressful situations, is that i’d have ran out & confronted the crazed bitch before phoning the cops.
My priority would’ve been to halt or at least distract the attack on the kid & if that meant intervening physically, then so be it. It’s totally understandable that you felt scared & ill at ease, that was a horrible situation that was thrust upon you out of nowhere.

My instinct is to put myself between the child and the abuser. Years of practice. And police on speed dial. You did right.

(PS. Our abuser was finally charged and found guilty.)

@cazzie – Huzzah!

I would have called the police and I probably would have gone out and confronted the person by yelling or discussing it with her, but I don’t agree with what some others said above about punching the woman. I’m not looking to get arrested myself or sued by some nut case or in any way be on the defensive end of an issue. I think calling the police and yelling at the woman would have been the extent of my involvement. I’d also get the license plate number.

It sounds like the kid did something like run off and the mom is trying to get him back to the house, and things got out of hand. Her punching him with closed fist is the part that would merit CPS involvement where I work.

She’s in my yard beating a child, I’m well within my rights to physically subdue her according to Florida law.

@Seek: .That’s great. I chose not to go that route

Yeah she was much bigger than me.

any follow-up? did the police come to your house?

No they didn’t. I hope they didn’t drop the ball.

me too. Poor kid.

Yes. OMG yes you did the right thing. Absolutely. How terrifying.

Have you heard anything?

No, nothing.

I doubt they’d report back to you.

I had a similar situation. I called them when it happened, then called again the next day. They told me they found the woman and everything seemed OK in the van. But what I saw and heard was a freaking nightmare. It had my heart pounding.