GAINES TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Kent County sheriff’s detectives say there is no evidence of an attempted kidnapping or any other criminal act at the Gaines Township Target store named in a viral Facebook post.
24 Hour News 8 first reported the allegations Wednesday after a mother wrote on Facebook that a man tried snatching her child from a shopping cart.
Sheriff’s detectives viewed store security video of both the man, the mother and the child. They said it shows the man was in the same aisle as the mother and her child at one point. At no time did the man make any attempt to take the child, according to authorities.
24 Hour News 8 initially reported that the incident happened in the parking lot of the Target near Kalamazoo Avenue and M-6; we’ve since learned the allegations were made based on events inside the store.
The mother told deputies earlier she wasn’t sure how to interpret the man’s motives when he walked near them in the store, so she didn’t report the situation to police. But she did feel a need to put out a warning on Facebook.
Deputies are putting out the reminder: if something seems suspicious, it’s better to call law enforcement to check it out before posting it on social media.