CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The man accused of attacking a 12-year-old boy in First Ward Park last week has been arrested, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said.
CMPD tweeted a photo of the suspect, identified as Benjamin Keyser, 39, saying he physically assaulted a boy in First Ward Park on June 29. Investigators confirmed to NBC Charlotte that Keyser was in the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office. He is charged with misdemeanor assault in relation to the alleged attack.
"A man grabbed him by his neck and threw him down to the ground," said the mother of the boy, who asked to not be identified.
Police believe the assault was random and unprovoked.
"He was spending the night with friends he was just at the park have fun until the went back home and were doing their sleepover,” said the boy's mother.
She was not there when the incident happened but said there were several adult witnesses.
“Our friend was with him and she also had her brother there. Her parents were there," she said. "There were at least four adults with them.”
She said the kids had just finished playing in the water fountain and went to the restroom to change out of their wet clothes before heading to a friend’s house. She said as they left the restroom, the man approached her son.
"A man walked up to my son and got in his face. My son started to walk away and the man grabbed him by his neck and threw him down to the ground,” she said.
She said her son didn’t have any interaction with the man before the incident.
“It was unprovoked. I have no idea why somebody would do that," she added.
She said her son received bruises on his back and buttocks from being throw on the ground. He also has had nightmares since the incident happened, according to his mother.
A parent of her son’s friend came running over and called 911. She said a woman came up and apologized and grabbed the man’s hand and they ran away.
“She believed he was intoxicated, drunk or whatever,” she said. “Our concern is not that he assaulted someone but that he assaulted a 12-year-old and he might do that to some other child.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
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