BRAINTREE, Mass. — A Braintree man was arrested after surveillance video caught him allegedly trying to abduct a child.
Police tell FOX25 Stephen O'Brien, 47, went in to a Quincy Avenue grocery store Friday and grabbed a young boy who was shopping with his parents.
“He just walked right into the store took ten steps got the kid and then followed the exit sign right to the back door,” store owner Mehtab Ahmed said.
“It’s a good thing the father had eyes on the kid the whole time. He asked what are you doing.” Ahmed said. “[The suspect] gave the kid right back, thank God there was no struggle there.”
Video shows O'Brien grab the boy and pick him up then walk to the back of the store when the boy's father confronts him.
Once officers arrived, witnesses directed them to a wooded area in the rear of the business where the suspect was last seen fleeing.
Officers were able to locate the suspect, who they identified as O'Brien, and arrested him after a brief struggle. He was charged with kidnapping and resisting arrest after physically resisting officer's attempts to place him in custody.
According to a police report obtained by FOX25, O'Brien had a "disturbing, blank look in his eyes, appearing to be under the influence of some type of narcotic."
Neighbors told FOX25 he has a history of drug use and arrests, including one in March when he was charged with selling PCP.
“His drug use, his brains gone. I'm not surprised he's doing things like this at all. The scariest part is I don't feel like he has any comprehension of what he's done because of the drug use,” Kristie Linscott said.