One Michigan dad had the surprise of his life after a cop pulled him over.
LaVonte Dell was driving with his 3-year-old daughter, Lauren, in Westland, Michigan, when Officer Joshua Scaglione pulled him over for having tinted windows.
The 28-year-old dad said his “heart dropped to his stomach” and that he was “so sure” he was going to get a costly ticket because of his vehicle’s tinted windows.
What happened next, Dell reportedly said, “completely surprised him.”
“The officer told me why he pulled me over, which I had predicted, and then he also noticed my 3-year-old in the back wasn’t in a car seat,” Dell said.
“I asked him why is she back there without a car seat. It’s not safe. He teared up a little bit and told me he was going through some tough times,” Officer Scaglione said.
The officer then asked Dell to step out of the car. The father feared that something terrible was about to happen.
Officer Scaglione started to ask him about what was happening in his life.
“I related to the fact that I’ve been in that situation before. I realized this was the perfect opportunity to help him,” he said.
So in lieu of writing him a ticket, the officer brought Dell to Walmart and bought the dad a car seat for his 3-year-old out of his own pocket.
The gesture was so moving that Dell, who’s been going through a rough time, took to social media in an effort to track down Scaglione and share the story of the cop’s compassion with others.
The officer later told ABC News that in this case, it was simply the right thing to do.
“You know, a ticket doesn’t help all the time. I’ve been in a tough situation like this guy before,” the officer told the outlet. “I figured it’d be better to help him out and just raise more awareness about car safety rather than give him a ticket that would dig him deeper in a hole and make things worse for him.”
The Westward Police Department replied shortly after:
“The Westland Police Department would like to express how proud we are of the officer responsible, Officer Joshua Scaglione.”
“We would also like to thank the driver, LaVonte Dell for coming forward and sharing this experience with us. In a world filled with negative stories, the fact that you shared yours has had an unbelievably positive impact on all of us.”
Thank you.”
Watch the video report below:
Sources: OpposingViews, ABC News, WXYZ