Suspect in Walgreens attack turned in by father - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

The father of a teenager suspected in an assault in a downtown parking lot turned his son in to police Tuesday.

Police say the 15-year-old suspect was arrested after admitting he was the man shown on a surveillance video outside the Walgreens at 1530 North Meridian Street last Friday, shoving a 32-year-old woman to the ground and stealing her purse.

The teenager was arrested for robbery and taken to the Juvenile Detention Center for processing.

The father of the suspect, who is not being identified because his son is a juvenile, says when he saw the surveillance video he knew right away the suspect was his child.

"I just couldn't stand by and act like I didn't see it," the father told Eyewitness News.

The crime has the teen's father shaking his head.

"At home, you would never think that he would go out and do something like this man, that is why it is so confusing for all of us," he said. "I don't understand what was going through his head."

To make sure everyone in the family was on the same page, the distraught father immediately got feedback from relatives about telling police the video involves his own son.

"That's when I made my decision," he said. "It was the right one. It was not an easy thing to do, but it needed to be done."

The victim, who suffered minor bumps and bruises in the attack, tells Eyewitness News she is relieved the father turned in his son. The father wants her to know it's about more than tough love.

"I love him, but he just needs to know this is just not acceptable behavior, by any standard," he said. "I would just like her to know, as a parent, she can know that we are going to address it as it should be addressed."

The crime is not only being addressed at home, but now, also in the juvenile justice system.