A woman confronted an 18-year-old man at a restaurant after finding that he had been exchanging text messages with her 13-year-old daughter, which led to a police confrontation and the suspect being shot multiple times. 

The Florida mother, upon learning the night before about the “inappropriate text relationship” with her child, used her daughter’s phone to set up a rendezvous, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. The mother, pretending to be her daughter, continued the text conversation with the 18-year-old who was later revealed to be Cerry Banks, arranging a meeting with him the following morning at a local Popeyes restaurant.

In an odd move, the mother brought along her daughter and 11-year-old son to the restaurant on Nov. 11 while, according to Chief of Investigations Alan Parker, Banks still thought he was texting with her daughter. What happened next, however, is a stark reminder that confrontations like this have the potential to take dark turns. During the confrontation outside the restaurant, Banks brandished a firearm he had concealed in his waistband, telling the mother, “When you hear the shots tonight, you know what’s up,” according to police.

That’s when Mom went inside to call the authorities, something perhaps she should have done before arriving for the confrontation. Police report they responded 30 minutes later, seemingly a lifetime in a situation like this, while Banks in another odd move continued to hang around outside Popeyes. When an officer approached the man, all the tough talk dissipated quickly as the suspect decided he’d rather be a track star. While in a foot pursuit, Banks is accused of pulling out the gun, which the officer ordered him to drop. It is unclear if he had pulled the firearm to engage the officer or if he was going to try to dispose of the evidence. 

The officer fired at and hit Banks who ultimately dropped the gun, but despite being injured continued running. At some point, the officer lost sight of Banks, according to Parker, but units eventually found him hiding in a drainage culvert. According to authorities, Banks received medical assistance for multiple gunshot wounds at the scene and was transported to a local hospital.

Jail records reveal that Banks has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, lewd and lascivious conduct by an offender over 18 against a victim less than 16, unlawful use of a two-way communication device and traveling to meet after using a computer to seduce/solicit/lure a child. 

Sheriff T.K. Waters has asked parents to notify law enforcement if they suspect their child is the victim of a crime, but stated he doesn’t blame the mom for the confrontation, taking a page right out of Chris Hansen’s To Catch A Predator on Dateline NBC. At the end of the day, this one turned out as it should have, with a pedophile receiving some well-needed ventilation with no harm to the good guys. Things could have gone differently, however, and while I applaud the mother’s resolute courage, it is advisable to play it safe and alert the authorities whenever possible in these situations.