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Son calls 911 on red-light running dad

Posted at 11:17 AM, Jun 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-02 11:21:03-04

QUINCY, Mass. -- A Massachusetts boy taught his father a lesson on the roads when he called the cops on him after he ran a red light.

The unusual bonding moment between father and son, Mike and Robbie Richardson, happened then they were driving home on Saturday.

When the two came across the red light, Mike turned right -- which is legal to do.

His six-year-old son Robbie, who is not as proficient in traffic law, did not take kindly to his father's perceived mental error. So, he called police.

Robbie explained the situation to a 911 dispatcher:

Dispatcher Bowes: 9-1-1 this line’s recorded, what’s your emergency?
Robbie: Um, Daddy went past a red light. It was in the brand new car, my mommy’s car.
Dispatcher Bowes: Yup

"This is one of the good ones," Dispatcher Mike Bowes said about Robbie's call. "When a child calls you don’t know if it’s going to be the parents having a heart attack or if they’re fighting."

After speaking with Bowes, Robbie handed the phone to his dad.

"I just kind of you know, panicked for a second," Mike Richardson said.

Once he realized why Robbie called 911, Mike apologized to the dispatcher.

While this story ended with smiles, Robbie has issued a stern warning; Keep your eyes on the road, for you never know what the backseat driver might do.

"When you see a yellow light you go slow, and then when it turns red you stop”, explained Robbie.

The child, as you might imagine, said he wanted to be a police officer when he grows up.