A chilling video captures a young child sprinting along a Florida highway at night, nearly being struck by a vehicle before a police officer managed to rescue him.
Sergeant Shield was driving on Highway 41 in North Port late Tuesday evening when he noticed the unnamed child, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, darting between two lanes.
As he slowed to make a U-turn, his dashcam recorded an unaware driver in a white SUV approaching, nearly colliding with the running boy while the officer activated his lights and siren to alert them.
“I have a small child running in front of Lowe’s, just barely avoided being hit by a car,” Shield communicated via radio.
The boy, who is reportedly developmentally challenged, tried to escape but was caught after the officer exited his vehicle and chased him on foot.
Fortunately, he was safely returned to his family following the “frightening” incident, according to police, who emphasized that the parents were not to blame for the child wandering away from their home.
“The child, who has developmental delays, left their home, even with safety measures intended to prevent such occurrences,” a department representative mentioned in an Instagram video.
“Thanks to Sergeant Shield’s prompt actions, the child was safely brought back to his family,” police reported.
