Police Officer Gives Bike to Teen Who Walks 9 Miles to Work

[Hum]

For one man in Arizona, getting pulled over by a police officer might have been the best thing to ever happen to him.

Phoenix Police Sgt. Natalie Simonick, 46, was on patrol around 11 p.m., when she saw a young man walking alone in a dark and desolate area who she thought might be violating curfew.

"And I pulled over and I asked him what he was doing," Simonick told ABCNews.com. "He said, 'Walking home, I missed the bus.'"

After the young man, Christian Felix, showed Simonick his ID proving he was 18 years old, the sergeant offered Felix a courtesy ride home. Then Simonick learned Felix had never ridden a bike before.

"He never had a father in his life, so he had no one to teach him," :( Simonick said.

By the end of the ride home Simonick was shocked. It turned out Felix would walk the 9 mile distance to his home from his job at McDonald's if he missed his bus.

Simonick was impressed by the young man. "He doesn't drink and doesn't smoke," she said. "He had never had any contact with police as far as negative contact."

After that night, Simonick spoke to her husband, who said she could give Felix their extra bike. The other members of her squad agreed to help teach Felix how to ride a bike.

"It's really something when someone comes up on the street and offers to do a kindness for you," Felix told ABC affiliate KNXV. "These days you don't see anything like that."

Last month, Felix had his first bike lesson at the Phoenix police precinct parking lot.

"Two of my officers stood on either side of him and pushed him," Simonick said. "He was a little wobbly and rode into one of the poles, but my guys were right there to catch him."

After 45 minutes, Felix was riding on his own, and he and Simonick rode together around the lot.

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[cropcircles]

Thanks for sharing a positive story for once involving a police officer in Arizona. Usually it's somebody getting shot or arrested. Need more stories like these. :)

[Hum]

^ Let's learn to create them. ;)

[Noir Angel]

That's a really nice story, it's good to see that there are some decent people left after all.

[xendrome]

Thanks for sharing a positive story for once involving a police officer in Arizona. Usually it's somebody getting shot or arrested. Need more stories like these. :)

I just want to point out that a police officer shooting someone or arresting someone shouldn't be negative on them, they are only doing their job. It's the people on the other end that put themselves and the police officer in to the negative situation. The police officer is just trying to feed his/her family. Sure there are the 1% dirt bag cops, but they are few and far between.

Negative violent stories are more exciting and usually get the most attention, blame them media. But money drives them, so stories like this usually get sent to the back pages.

[Hum]

^ And dwelling on the negative helps to create more of the same.

Time to change our thinking. ;)

[44MLX]

+1 to the good people out there

[Phouchg]

I was about to say that our local PD should give me a free car and driving license, for I walk about the same distance when I don't feel like paying for a ride, and that's in addition to the long distance commute. But all you goody two-shoes here prevent me from being such a horrible and evil cynic.

Oh wait...

[Growled Member]

We more good good people and good stories like this.

[Torolol]

Good peoples still exist!

and i despise the washington ellite who want to tax the bike.