Five-year-old TyLon Pittman was watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas when he grabbed the phone and called 911 to report that the Grinch was going to steal Christmas, The Independent reports.
“I just want to tell you something. Watch for that little Grinch. Because the Grinch is gonna steal Christmas, OK?” Pittman told the 911 dispatcher. According to The Independent, the dispatcher then asked if there was anyone home, and Pittman’s father apologized for his son calling the police.
After Pittman told his mother and older brother, who were out at the time, that he called the police, Pittman’s older brother, TeDera Dwayne Graves II, said that the mother dismissed it.
“My mom said, ‘Boy, whatever. You better not have.’ We just didn’t pay him any attention,” Graves told Good Housekeeping.
But to the family’s surprise, the police came knocking on the door about an hour later.
“I cracked the door and saw the uniform and she explained to me, ‘I’m looking for a little boy who was watching The Grinch?’ ” Graves said, according to The Independent. “We called him out and he explained to her what happened.”
Officer Lauren Develle, the officer who responded to the call, assured the young boy that the Grinch would not be stealing Christmas, Good Housekeeping reports. When asked what he would do if he saw the Grinch, Pittman said that he would “take him to jail.”
The police, however, went a step further and invited Pittman and his family to the Byram, Mississippi Police Station on Monday, where he was surprised with a tour and told that the police had caught the Grinch, Good Housekeeping reports. The police then instructed Pittman to lock the Grinch up.
“Christmas is Safe!!! Someone was camera shy but I’m sure his childhood has been made!” Graves wrote on Facebook.
After the Grinch apologized and promised to not steal Christmas, according to Good Housekeeping Pittman let him out of his cell, and the Grinch commended Pittman on his courage and bravery.
When asked about the whole incident, the family thought it was quite funny, The Independent reports. “We thought it was funny, we were shocked he actually did it,” Graves said. “But we had a talk with him about when it’s OK to call 911.”