Police officer invites violent teen into home, has him arrested

OPA-LOCKA, Fla. (WSVN) -- The police officer who invited a teenage boy into his home as he fled from authorities for allegedly assaulting a foster parent claims the youth had no idea he was literally running into the law.

The suspect ran down a street near Opa-Locka Boulevard, late Monday afternoon, which led him to the homeowner's house. What happened next was all captured by surveillance video.

A Miami-Dade Schools Police detective on his day off said the teenager approached his home and told him, "'I'm running from the police, can you help me?'" The officer, who asked to remain anonymous, said he invited the teen into his home. He said his house guest told him he had "pushed" a foster parent.

The detective observed the boy remained clueless to the fact he had set foot into the home of a law enforcer. The teenager walked by several pictures on the walls showing his host in his police uniform, but he appeared not to notice them. The youth also failed to notice the police radio and handcuffs laying on a marble table.

The officer, who has 13 years of experience dealing with children and teenagers, said he chose not to identify himself as a policeman because he wanted to deescalate the situation. The teen plopped down on the living room couch and appeared to make himself at home. He even took off his T-shirt to cool down and accepted a glass of water from his host.

The homeowner then heard an ambulance siren and became suspicious of his guest's version of events. "I asked him, 'What did you really do to this lady? Because they don't really call ambulances when people got pushed.' He said, 'No, that's all I did, was push her,'" he said.

Officials indicated the teen hit the foster parent so hard that she required medical attention. "He apparently attacked her, hitting her several times and causing some serious injuries," said David Chiverton, assistant city manager of Opa-Locka. "I understand she's still going through some medical attention, so our prayers go out to her," he added.

The detective called a colleague and spoke to him in police jargon to prevent arousing the teen's suspicion. Within minutes, a cruiser pulled up to the front of the house. The teen looked out the window, but it was too late for him to escape.

"'Hey, man, police are out front,'" the officer recalls the teen telling him. "He said, 'What are we going to do?' At that point, I walked over to the police radio and turned it on, I said, 'I don't know what we're going to do, but you're going to go to jail. He kind of looked at me and said, 'You're the police!'" Officers entered the house, handcuffed the teen and took him into custody.

"Lord, have mercy," said a nearby resident. "With such good luck, you better bless Him, because if you're running from them, and you run into them, come on, what else can you do?"

Chiverton chooses to emphasize the positive outcome of an unfortunate situation. "We're sad to know that the [foster parent] was injured, but we're glad to know that the suspect was apprehended."

Since the suspect is a juvenile, police are not releasing his name. He faces multiple charges.

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