A set of parents in Baltimore figured they did a favor to their son. Allen Bullock's parents deemed it best to motivate their son to turn himself in to the police, according to The Inquisitr.
Bullock's parents' initiative to motivate their 18-year-old surrender to authorities comes in lieu of the violent Baltimore riots. The young man allegedly participated in the city's riot activities. Such activities in Baltimore came after the death of a black man in the hands of policemen who kept him in custody. The deceased man's name was Freddie Gray.
However, Bullock's parents have now come to regret their action. According to the couple, they did not realize the law would punish their son unfairly.
"As parents, we wanted Allen to do the right thing," said Bullock's mom, Bobbi Smallwood, to the The Guardian. "He was dead wrong and he does need to be punished. But he wasn't leading this riot. He hasn't got that much power."
She added, "By turning himself in he also let me know he was growing as a man and he recognized what he did was wrong. But they are making an example of him and it is not right."
Bullock faces a $500,000 bail fee. Smallwood and Bullock's stepfather, Maurice Hawkins, can barely afford to sustain their everyday needs. The family lives in a poverty-stricken neighborhood in Baltimore.
Smallwood said the bail amount set was "just so much money." He asked, "Who could afford to pay that?"
"If they let him go he could at least save some money and pay them back for the damage he did," Smallwood added.
The violence Bullock got himself into on the city's street prompted Smallwood and Hawkins to tell their son to turn himself in. Bullock's action was seen in a footage on local television.
The 18-year-old now faces eight counts of criminal charges including riot initiation and property destruction. Four to eight years of jail time possibly await him if he is convicted.
Meanwhile, Hawkins said Freddie Gray's death instigated his stepson to join the street riots because "he [Bullock] said the police were hunting and killing, not serving and protecting."
Smallwood expressed a different opinion on Bullock's action. She defended some of his son's participation on the street riots. According to The New York Daily News, the 43-year-old mom said, "He [Bullock] was dead wrong and he does need to be punished. But he wasn't leading this riot. He hasn't got that much power."
