Boing Boing Staging

Police take man off a bus because his skin tone did not match his son's

Jason Thompson

On Tuesday, Jason Thompson and his four-year-old son Xavier were riding home on a Toronto bus. Suddenly the bus stopped and the driver told everyone to stay in their seats. A police officer got on the bus went up to Thompson, and told him to get off the bus. Thompson asked why but the officer wouldn’t explain, repeating his order to get off the bus.

The officer escorted Thompson off the bus and began interrogating him about his relationship to his son. The officer told him that a concerned fellow passenger suspected Thompson has kidnapped Xavier because their skin tones didn’t match. Thompson has albinism, so his skin is lighter than his son’s. The officer apologized and gave Thompson and his son a ride home.

From Global News:

Thompson said he had to then explain the humiliating situation to his four-year-old. “I said, ‘Somebody called and said I’m not your daddy and they were worried.’ And he looked at me and said, ‘You are my daddy.’” Police say they take every call related to children very seriously, and anyone who witnesses anything suspicious should give them a call. Thankfully a day that began horribly ended a bit better for Thompson and his son. “My son starts crying and the officer was like, ‘Don’t worry we’ll give you a ride home,’” he said. “So we get back in the patrol car, we’re heading down the street and my son’s like, ‘This is where the bad guys sit’ and the officer’s like, ‘No, the good guys sit there too.’ “We’re good guys right now.”

According to Global News,”Police attempted to follow up with the original caller to get more information, but they did not answer their phone.”

[via]

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