# Good Samaritan helps lost child, gets assaulted and falsely accused **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 28, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062 "2017-06-28T16:48:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/61 "2017-06-29T12:14:53Z")
We have much to learn from them. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/62 "2017-06-29T12:17:15Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Sure - it is a low-probability event with high-impact consequences. Like a stranger abducting a child, except even lower probability. > > Regards, > Shodan Yet we’re here, in this thread, talking about someone who suffered severe consequences for trying to help. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/63 "2017-06-29T12:56:52Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Yet we’re here, in this thread, talking about someone who suffered severe consequences for trying to help. Do you really not see the parallels here with women who don’t trust any strange men they meet? “You’re probably not a rapist, but…the consequences could be so severe! I’m not going to take that risk!” I’ll definitely remember this thread next time we have that conversation. Of course, in this case, there’s a child’s safety at stake, and the statistical probability of being victimized is likely much lower. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/64 "2017-06-29T13:15:56Z")
Reductio ad absurdum. The chances of something bad happening if a woman is with a man are very low. The chances of something bad happening if a child is left unminded are quite high. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/65 "2017-06-29T13:21:00Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Reductio ad absurdum. The chances of something bad happening if a woman is with a man are very low. The chances of something bad happening if a child is left unminded are quite high. I don’t think we have evidence of that here. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/66 "2017-06-29T13:32:23Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > The father is an asshole, but I don’t think losing track of his child is part of what makes him an asshole. Doesn’t everyone remember getting lost at some point during their childhood? It seems like a rite of passage. But maybe I am old. You can lose six-year-olds and maybe four-year-olds, especially at events with other friends where it’s easier to get confused about which parent is watching which child. You shouldn’t lose a two-year-old. We “lost” our daughter at an activity when she was five. She was very responsible, but the older girl (8ish) she was playing with went to a different area. I was close to panicking. Hell, we can be honest here, I was panicking. She wasn’t in the range we would have expected and a 30-minute search was turning up anything. If someone had told me a guy was taking her to the parking lot I may have lost it as well. I hope that I wouldn’t have actually hit him and certainly would not have posted anything on social media. One huge mistake this guy made was to go looking for parents. For chrissake, stay put! Unwittingly, the guy did everything wrong. He tried to engage a toddler. He did it by himself. After determining that the kid was lost, he needed to first get someone else helping. Preferably a mother or older woman. Then they needed to spend all his efforts calling attention to them. Make it obvious that you aren’t taking the child anywhere and are trying to attract attention. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/67 "2017-06-29T13:33:23Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Yet we’re here, in this thread, talking about someone who suffered severe consequences for trying to help. Yes, we are talking about an event which is quite rare, even though the consequences are severe when it happens. Congratulations on learning to read. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/68 "2017-06-29T13:33:34Z")
And, the father should be prosecuted. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/69 "2017-06-29T13:43:38Z")
The man definitely shouldn’t have headed to the parking lot and probably shouldn’t have carried her. If at a public event, lead the child to a security person or cop if they have them. Otherwise call the cops. The child’s family are assholes. For them to continue to harass the guy who was only trying to help after they learn he was only trying to help is beyond the pale. One has to wonder what part racism plays in this. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/70 "2017-06-29T14:07:47Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > The man definitely shouldn’t have headed to the parking lot and probably shouldn’t have carried her. If at a public event, lead the child to a security person or cop if they have them. Otherwise call the cops. > > The child’s family are assholes. For them to continue to harass the guy who was only trying to help after they learn he was only trying to help is beyond the pale. One has to wonder what part racism plays in this. I wonder if the thought process is like this: “I was, arguably, justified in what I did when I saw him and understandably jumped to the wrong conclusion. But like I said, that’s _arguable_; he could _maybe_ sue me, and I could _maybe_ get locked up for this. So it’d be really dumb for me to admit that I Apologize For That Mistake; my best bet is insisting – loudly and often – that everything I did was correct.” ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/71 "2017-06-29T14:27:22Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Do you really not see the parallels here with women who don’t trust any strange men they meet? “You’re probably not a rapist, but…the consequences could be so severe! I’m not going to take that risk!”\ What the does this have to do with anything I’ve said? Nothing I’ve said in this thread has anything to do with the risks women face (I’ve not once even addressed it!) I don’t understand why you’re determined to paint me as having a particular point of view. > [@](#): > > I’ll definitely remember this thread next time we have that conversation. Oh? and when is the last time we had that conversation? Because I wasn’t trying to have it here. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/72 "2017-06-29T14:48:53Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Oh, I couldn’t agree more. I am a woman and the only reason I would ever touch some stranger’s child is to prevent imminent harm, like to stop them from walking in front of a bus. Most people are not comfortable with other people touching their kids. And probably the kids are not so comfortable with it either. > > It’s the idea of just leaving a two year old to fend for itself on the off-chance that something terrible might happen to you that is just a little :dubious: You could at least call the police, that would be an easy and low-risk option to ensure the child’s safety. > > But as someone upthread mentioned, what people say they will do and what they actually do are two different things. I suspect a lot of these ‘‘not getting involved’’ folks would crumble if they saw those big, lost eyes blinking up at them. Kid wasn’t in the middle of the woods, they were in a public area with plenty of other people that could help. Apparently there were even police officers in the crowd. In that situation, IMHO, it is far more likely for someone to get the wrong idea about your intentions than it is for the child to come to harm. If it were me, I would probably allow the bystander effect to let me just walk on by; not my problem. If I happened to see an official from security or a police officer, I may try to direct them in the child’s direction. If I hear about someone asking about a child, I’ll volunteer the information as to where I saw them last. But I see no reason to get involved, especially when you have parents like this that make sure that no good deed goes unpunished. The only reason to get involved is because you are anticipating the joyous thanks of the parents when they are reunited with their lost child, someone else can have that honor. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/73 "2017-06-29T14:55:40Z")
Out of curiosity, let me tweak the facts a little for a quick hypothetical: you see a little kid about to run out into traffic. Do you rush to grab said kid? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/74 "2017-06-29T14:57:08Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > The only reason to get involved is because you are anticipating the joyous thanks of the parents when they are reunited with their lost child, someone else can have that honor. That’s strange because I thought the reason to get involved was to make sure a child knows where his/her parents are and that the parents know where their child is. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/75 "2017-06-29T14:59:45Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Out of curiosity, let me tweak the facts a little for a quick hypothetical: you see a little kid about to run out into traffic. Do you rush to grab said kid? Speaking for me, of course I would. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/76 "2017-06-29T14:59:58Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > What the does this have to do with anything I’ve said? Nothing I’ve said in this thread has anything to do with the risks women face (I’ve not once even addressed it!) I don’t understand why you’re determined to paint me as having a particular point of view. > > Oh? and when is the last time we had that conversation? Because I wasn’t trying to have it here. Oh, I wasn’t referring to you specifically. I just see a lot of hysterical hand-wringing in a similar fashion. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/77 "2017-06-29T15:15:12Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Oh, for heaven’s sake. > > Yes, the father acted like a jerk afterwards. And there is way too much panic over stranger-danger. But it was a 2 year old child who was lost. If I have to take the risk of getting punched in the face or have people on Facebook spread false rumors about it, so be it. > > Hindsight is 20-20 - don’t pick the child up if she seems scared, just call 911 on your cell phone and tell them about it. But “sorry kid, people might think I am a child molester so you are on your own” - fuck that noise. > > Come on. I know this is the Pit, but come on. > > Regards, > Shodan Seconded. Damn, I’m almost getting used to agreeing with you on non-political stuff. I also have to wonder, what were the parents doing? I realize that even a 2 year old can slip away with amazing speed, but what about when the father noticed her absence? Why weren’t he and his friends going all over the place, hollering out his daughter’s name? (Thank goodness the Firebug was never one to run off on his own. I’m sure that’s saved me any number of heart attacks over the years.) That would have probably saved the good Samaritan from an ambush. I agree that the good Samaritan could have handled things better, but like you say, hindsight is 20-20. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/78 "2017-06-29T15:44:20Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Seconded. Damn, I’m almost getting used to agreeing with you on non-political stuff. > > I also have to wonder, what were the parents doing? I realize that even a 2 year old can slip away with amazing speed, but what about when the father noticed her absence? Why weren’t he and his friends going all over the place, hollering out his daughter’s name? (Thank goodness the Firebug was never one to run off on his own. I’m sure that’s saved me any number of heart attacks over the years.) That would have probably saved the good Samaritan from an ambush. > > I agree that the good Samaritan could have handled things better, but like you say, hindsight is 20-20. Pretty sure I remember reading that they were actually playing in a softball game. ---
**Author:** ![Crazy\_Canuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazy_canuck/32/5282_2.png) [@Crazy\_Canuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazy_Canuck)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/79 "2017-06-29T16:06:12Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > That said, I am far, far more furious with the people who have revealed they would put their own personal safety over the safety of a lost child. That is just selfish and wrong. You sure are brave on behalf of other people. To which I have to say, get fucked you stupid sanctimonious twat. When you’ve actually been the victim of a hate crime and had a group of five men beat you into a coma I just might give a single fuck about what actions you think I should take to protect my personal safety. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062/80 "2017-06-29T16:13:35Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > That’s strange because I thought the reason to get involved was to make sure a child knows where his/her parents are and that the parents know where their child is. That would be a good reason to do something if you are the only one who can. If the kid is lost in the woods, for instance. Being separated from their parents, in a public environment, with police and security and other parents around, I am not too concerned about the child not making it back to their parents, and whoever it is that brings the child back is the one who can accept the accolades and awards, I have no need of such things. > [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Out of curiosity, let me tweak the facts a little for a quick hypothetical: you see a little kid about to run out into traffic. Do you rush to grab said kid? Nah, need to teach them when they are young not to jaywalk. But, seriously, in your new convoluted hypothetical, I am not sure how I know they are going to run into traffic. Are they in a sprinter’s stance; did they just drop their ball, and it is rolling across street and it looks like they are going after it; is there someone on the other side of the road they are going to? Not trying to be nitpicky, just trying to visualize the situation, and figure out how I would enter into it. In any case, sure, if there was something I could do that would prevent immediate and obvious harm, that is also much less likely to be misinterpreted, I would do so. In the situation in the OP, this was not the case. There is no reason to believe that the child would come to any harm, or even be separated from her parents by any significant more time if you are not involved. Especially in the case of this guy, who apparently did not know all the rules that you have to know if you want to help a child. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-samaritan-helps-lost-child-gets-assaulted-and-falsely-accused/790062.md?page=5)