A group of residents in a Newark, New Jersey community saved the life of a 10-year-old neighbor when they came to his rescue during a police chase. While the August 11 incident was not captured on video, the shaken boy's account of the incident was recorded and has since gone viral. “I knew I had to get some type of documentation,” young Legend Preston's mother Patisha Solomon said of her presence of mind to ensure that her son got to speak on his experience. “With these police we have to have our batteries fully charged because you never know what’s going on.”

The officers involved in the chase had been seeking a robbery suspect when they came upon Preston while he chased a ball off of a court he had been playing a game on with friends. Upon retrieving the ball from the street Preston suddenly noticed a couple of cops running in his direction. After getting startled, Preston took off, leading a police chase that came to a halt when bystanders who recognized him surrounded the terrified minor. A police spokesman has since stated that the officers indeed did have their guns drawn, but had not pointed their weapons at a fleeing Preston. Officials claim it was a case of mistaken identity.

Police eventually apprehended the man they were looking for. Casey Joseph Robinson, 20, was captured one block over, and charged with unlawful possession and weapon and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose charges along with the armed robbery charge. But that was no consolation to Solomon, who claims that after confronting the cops, was told to file a report if she had a problem. “One wrong move and my child wouldn’t be here right now," Solomon said. "My son could have tripped. He could have reached for a toy. They could have done anything to my son and it could have been his fault.”

Source: nydailynews.com