‘I’m touched by this kid’: Officer applauds teen for walking senior citizen to car in rain

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - A Missouri police officer applauded a teen who walked an elderly woman in the rain to her car over the weekend, saying that he was “touched by this kid.”

Officer Holt, of the Independent Police Department in Missouri, snapped a photo of a teen who performed the act of kindness. The police department posted the picture on their Facebook page, along with a message from Holt. 

“With all the hate fueled by color, belief, sexual preference or race it actually pisses me off. Why, because most of it is based off what they read in the papers. Most isn’t based-off personal experiences,” Holt wrote in the post. “So today I experienced something that actually set me back a little. It didn’t set me back because I was shocked but because I got to witness it firsthand.” 

He went on to explain the kindness that he witnessed. 

“This young black male (teen) exited the backseat of a van he was in while it was pouring rain took his coat off and protected this elderly white female from the environment the best he could all the way to her car. He then walked back to his car all while not saying a word to his Auntie or Mom when he exited or re-entered,” Holt said. 

Holt was especially touched because “this kid cared less about race, religion or color.”

“The only thing this kid cared about was being kind,” he said. 

Holt said he followed the teen to the van and approached the driver, who was his mother. 

“I told this young man I was impressed and he should be proud because I was,” Holt said. “His mom had no idea what was happening, because she thought she had done something wrong since I was in uniform. I told his mom that she has done amazing with him and I hope and pray he goes places.”

“She started tearing up, because I was a cop and took time out of my day to call him out on what I witnessed,” he said. 

Holt said he knows the chances of his mother seeing the picture and Facebook post “is slim, but kid you impressed me.” 

“Kiddo If you see me on the street again this guy owes ya a dinner. You ever need anything I will come running to ya,” Holt said. 

This story was reported from Los Angeles.