Cop Protects Homeless Man He Was Supposed to Detain and Receives a Small Box From Him — Story of the Day

A policeman chooses to protect a homeless man he should have arrested, and in return, is rewarded with a small box.

Toby Jones was a peculiar man. He was homeless, and he would often sit near St. Benedict, a school reserved for the children of the wealthy. He believed he had the most chance of obtaining real favors from the children of the rich.

He was wrong. The man was very kind, but he looked very ragged, which offended the sensibilities of the rich people who had to see him every day.

These people did not like Toby, and by extension, neither did their kids. The children would always pick on him and make jokes at him each afternoon.

It quickly became a habit of theirs, especially because they knew that Toby couldn't catch them because his old malnourished bones.

One day, after school closed, a group of children led by a boy named Colm found Toby. The group leader started taunting him, but Toby just remained motionless and listless.

"If I ignore them, they'll go away," he repeated over and over in his mind. However, they remained.

As usual, it began with the insults and laughter; then it moved on to something more terrible, all because Toby seemed to be unbothered by their presence.

Out of anger and to prove something to his audience, Colm walked up to the beggar and gave him a solid kick to his leg while the other children recorded the whole thing on their phones.

Toby could not take more kicks, so he stood up and gently pushed the young boy away from him, but as he did, the boy dramatically took a dive and ended up on the ground, crying.

"He pushed me! He was trying to kill me just now!" Colm yelled to his friends.

To Toby, he said, "Do you know what my father will do to you?!"

At his words, Toby bent down and started gathering his things, he could do without the anger from the parents because he wanted to keep returning to beg for alms.

Colm called his parents, and they, in turn, reached out to other parents. Within a few minutes, the school grounds were littered with worried parents. They assembled around an unruffled Toby and demanded some sort of explanation for his behavior.

"Your son started this when he tried to pick on me," Toby said.

"You should apologize for laying your filthy hands on my son!" Colm's father yelled.

"I will do no such thing," Toby said.

Infuriated, Colm's father dialed the police and requested immediate assistance. A young cop named Jeffrey was the closest officer on patrol, so he arrived first.

Jeffrey was a new police officer who was yet to gain the respect of his fellow officers. As a result, he was always the one they sent on ridiculous assignments and never the serious missions. Still, he dreamed of rising up the ranks to become a police captain.

Upon arriving at the school, he initiated a conversation with the homeless man. The bum introduced himself as Toby Jones and told Jeffrey precisely what had happened. He also revealed that they had a video of what happened and asked the cop to watch it.

The kids claimed that what he said was a lie, and their parents supported them, asking that the homeless man be sued.

Jeffrey got tired of the bickering, so he took a look around and found another CCTV on the street. He was able to retrieve its video recording and watched it. After seeing what happened, he got incensed, and he scolded the parents about how spoiled their kids were.

"You eat expensive food and don't even count your money! You live as if there is no one else in this world except you, the rich! Look, he is a person just like you! The only difference is that he sits all his life in torn clothes and without shoes! And how did you raise your children? They're kicking the poor man!"

"If he reports one of your children for touching him again, that child will be punished for hooliganism and assault on a person! Is that clear!?"

After a few murmurs of assent, the parents dispersed and took their kids with them, leaving Toby with Jeffrey.

"You're a real cop. Just like my father was," Toby said out of the blue.

"Your father was a cop?" Jeffrey asked, surprised.

"Yes, and he was an honest one too, which is why I was very proud of him. Everyone respected him."

Toby went on to reveal that his father died when he was six years old. As an adult, he commissioned a small cafe for himself. The cafe did well for a long time until a crisis came and his wife kicked him out.

"I'm sorry about that," Jeffrey said. "I have a son who dreams of becoming a police captain."

At that, Toby turned his attention to his rucksack, and after rummaging in it for some time, he came up with a small box he gave Jeffrey.

"That's all I have left of him. And I want to give it to you," Toby said. "Thank you for standing up for me."

Jeffrey did not check what was in the box until he was back in his patrol vehicle. When he finally opened it, he saw a police badge with "Captain Herald Jones" engraved on the back.

Soon, word quickly spread of Jeffrey's encounter with the rich folk. But of course, the whole altercation had happened in public, so it did not surprise him.

It had positive effects, too; everyone at his precinct now respected him for giving the rich people a piece of his mind.

The following day, Toby was at his usual perch when he suddenly dozed off. Nobody touched him, so he sank deeper into sleep.

When he woke up, a medium-sized box was standing next to him. He opened it, and inside was a pair of brand new warm shoes and a note.

"I will become a police captain and I promise I will be just like your father was so that my son can be as proud of me as you are of your father."

Immediately, Toby knew who it was from, and he smiled.

What did we gain from this story?

• Bullying should never be tolerated. Jeffrey was right for scolding the rich people because they only sought to punish Toby rather than their kids for starting the whole affair. He gave them a piece of his mind and earned the respect of his comrades.
• Gratitude is important. Toby had not expected anyone to come to his aid, but Jeffrey stood up for him — in return, the beggar gave him an important gift that served as motivation for the young cop who sought to become captain.

Share this story with friends and family to inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a homeless man who discovered a painting in the trash and sold it to a thrift store for a measly price. But then the store owner made more money from it.

This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.