A police lieutenant in Midwest Florida has struck a deal to encourage a runaway autistic child to stay home, a heartwarming video released Thursday revealed.
Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) responded to a report of 9-year-old Elijah missing at approximately 6 p.m. on May 3 after running away from home without his parents’ knowledge. video Published by HCSO. Police officers located the child within two hours of the call using SafetyNet, a geolocation technology that helps track and locate missing or at-risk people. did.especially people with cognitive disabilitiesaccording to the video.
Officers found Elijah sitting in the back of a truck and offered to take him home, police said. One of the officers, Sgt. Jeffrey Massaro struck up a conversation with the stern-looking child. (Related: Video of Florida boy calling 911 for adorable reasons)
“Do you have any plans for the summer? After all, school is already over, right?” asked the sergeant. Massaro.
Elijah shook his head.
“No? Don’t you have any days off?” he asked.
“I need bicycle tires, and I need a bicycle,” Elijah said matter-of-factly.
“Do you have a bicycle with a flat tire right now?” the sergeant asked. Massaro.
Ilya nodded slowly.
“Okay. Where do you usually ride your bike? Around here?”
“No, I’ll ride there,” Elijah replied, gesturing.
“Okay. Would you like me to see if I can fix your tire?”
“I don’t know if it can be fixed.”
“What happened? Did it break or was it just blown away?”
“I don’t know,” Elijah answered. “But we’re not pumping air into it.”
“When you get home, can you show it to me and see if you can fix it?” How does that sound? ”
Elijah nodded in agreement.
“Do you wear a helmet when you ride?” asked the sergeant. Massaro.
“I don’t have one. That’s why I don’t go to school,” Ilya answered, looking down.
“So, if I give you a helmet, will you wear it?” Got it? “
Elijah nodded.
“Good. So let’s get your helmet and see if we can fix the tire. How does that sound?”
Elijah nodded in agreement again.
“Okay. But if you do, can you promise me that you won’t run away too much?” Massaro asked, holding back a laugh. “What do you think? Can we make an agreement on that?”
Elijah nodded in agreement.
“Shake it?”
Elijah nodded again. Massaro held out his hand, and Elijah shook it.
“Okay,” Massaro said, and the two still shook hands. “So I’ll buy you a bike helmet, I’ll fix your bike, and you promise me you won’t keep running away. Next time, we’ll try something different, okay?”
Elijah nodded.
Sergeant Massaro fulfilled his promise and bought Elijah a bicycle and a helmet. The video showed two men smiling and posing with these items in their hands.
Sheriff Chad Chronister praised the officers and thanked family-owned bike shop Brandon Bikeworks for helping provide supplies, according to an accompanying statement from HCSO.
