A great-grandfather who wrapped a boy in duct tape is under investigation for possible child abuse.
Some witnesses mistakenly thought the child was being abducted. And that resulted in an Amber Alert that was breaking news yesterday.
This began at DeLong Elementary when students saw something suspicious and pulled out their cellphones. And they are receiving a lot of praise especially from Tacoma police.
But a longtime friend of the man says what the kids saw here at this school was a loving great grandfather trying to control an unruly 11-year-old.
"We know this man," said Frank Messina. "He's a very gentle, very, very gentle and kind man."
Messina stood outside his house, across from the school. He says he and the 79-year-old man are both longtime CPAs.
He says the man comes to DeLong to pick up his great-grandson when he is dropped off from another school for students with behavioral issues. Investigators say the 11-year-old boy may be autistic. And Messina says he sometimes threatens to do harm.
"He was trying to smash out the back window of the car with his feet," he said. "That he was talking about maybe running out into traffic. And so the great-grandfather, the only thing he could do was to try to keep him from hurting himself."
He defends his friend's use of duct tape.
"What would you do?" he asked. "When you're all alone?"
"Duct tape is never an appropriate restraint for any child," said Tacoma police spokeswoman Loretta Cool. She says what they plan to do is investigate.
"It definitely was an abduction based on the way we obtained the call," Cool said.
That call came yesterday afternoon from some children who recorded the man taping up the boy then driving away. An area-wide Amber Alert was issued. And Tacoma's Child Abduction Response Team joined the search. By 7 Monday night, the man turned himself in.
Now Tacoma police are investigating him for unlawful imprisonment.
"Well, that's crazy," said Messina. "They can investigate all they want. I know the guy. And he was just trying to keep the kid from hurting himself."
He says the child's mother is not involved in his life. His grandmother has full custody. And the great-grandfather who picked him up is her father.
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