Bodycam released showing a 74-year-old man being arrested after police say he pulled a knife on an 11-year-old boy riding his bicycle on the sidewalk.

Body-camera footage released from Winter Springs, Florida, shows police investigating and arresting a 74-year-old man after an 11-year-old boy said the man pointed a knife at his chest because he was riding his bicycle on a sidewalk instead of using a nearby bike lane.

CrimeCamNow reported that the confrontation happened on April 8, 2024, as the fifth-grade student was riding home through a neighborhood. The boy told officers that the encounter left him believing he might be killed, so he apologized to the man, rode directly home, and told his mother what had happened.

Police later identified the man as Richard Shafer. After finding him near the Bear Creek Nature Trail, officers recovered a knife and a handgun, arranged for the boy to view him from inside a patrol car, and arrested Shafer on an aggravated assault charge.

Winter Springs police also confirmed that riding a bicycle on the sidewalk was legal within the city limits.

Boy Rode Home and Told His Mother

The footage began with officers arriving at the family’s home after the boy’s mother reported that a man had assaulted her child.

CrimeCamNow’s narration said the boy had simply been riding home along the sidewalk when an older man confronted him, furious that he was not traveling in the marked bike lane. The man allegedly held a knife toward the child’s chest while ordering him off the sidewalk.

The boy described the man as wearing fingerless or weightlifting-style gloves, a wide hat, and glasses. Officers noted that the description was specific enough to help them search the nearby walking routes.

One officer explained that surveillance footage might become important if police could not locate the man immediately. Officers discussed checking neighborhood cameras and looking at video recorded shortly before the emergency call.

They also reasoned that someone who reacted so strongly to a child riding on the sidewalk might regularly walk through the same area. That possibility gave police a practical place to begin searching.

The boy’s decision to leave rather than argue was almost certainly the safest choice available to him. An 11-year-old should never have to measure the intentions of an armed adult, and apologizing in that moment was not an admission of wrongdoing but a way to escape.

Officer Found a Man Matching the Description

An officer soon reported that he might have located the suspect near Winter Springs Boulevard and the Bear Creek Nature Trail.

Body-camera footage showed the officer approaching Shafer calmly and asking whether he had been involved in an incident with a child on a bicycle earlier that day.

Shafer immediately acknowledged that he had encountered a boy riding on the sidewalk. He claimed the child had been traveling at approximately 25 mph and coming directly toward him on a large bicycle.

“What am I supposed to do?” Shafer asked the officer.

He said he had told the boy to get off the sidewalk and use the bike lane, pointing toward a sign with the image of a cyclist. According to Shafer, the child apologized and moved away without arguing.

Shafer described himself as 74 years old with heart and skeletal problems and said he had been trying to exercise. He called the child a “lethal problem” because of the boy’s size, speed, and the metal parts of the bicycle.

His explanation presented the bicycle as a possible danger, but it did not explain why an adult needed to bring a knife into the confrontation. Even if Shafer believed he might be struck, police still had to determine whether his response was reasonable or whether he had unlawfully threatened a child.

Shafer Admitted He Had a Knife

When the officer asked whether he had held anything during the encounter, Shafer said he had a knife.

The officer immediately instructed him not to reach into his pocket. Shafer said he normally carried the knife for protection from loose dogs and told police it was inside his right pocket.

The officer carefully removed the knife and then asked whether Shafer had any other weapons. Shafer disclosed that he was also carrying a handgun on his left side.

Police removed the gun while keeping his hands visible. The weapon was then unloaded and placed out of reach while the officers continued sorting through the allegations.

Shafer told the officer that the knife blade was under four inches long and opened from the side, which he believed made it legal to carry. When asked whether he had a concealed-weapons permit, he said he did not.

However, the case did not turn simply on whether Shafer could legally possess the knife. The central question was how he allegedly used it and whether his actions placed the boy in fear of immediate violence.

Owning or carrying an otherwise lawful object does not give someone permission to use it to settle a sidewalk dispute. That distinction is basic, but it became especially important because the other person involved was an elementary school student.

Family Agreed to Pursue Charges

While one officer remained with Shafer, other officers spoke with the boy and his parents about whether they wanted to pursue criminal charges.

The boy’s father responded clearly when told that police had found a possible suspect.

“One hundred percent,” he said. “If you pull a knife on my kid, absolutely.”

An officer explained that the child would need to participate in what police called a “show-up,” during which he would view the detained man and decide whether he was the same person from the encounter.

Police repeatedly told the boy that he should not identify anyone unless he felt certain. They explained that he was not in trouble and that saying he was unsure would be acceptable.

The careful instructions mattered because a frightened child can feel pressure to give adults the answer they expect. Officers instead emphasized that the decision had to come from his own memory.

CrimeCamNow showed the officer telling the boy that the detained man would not be able to see him inside the patrol car. The officer planned to drive past slowly twice, giving the child time to look without being placed face-to-face with Shafer.

Boy Identified Shafer From the Patrol Car

Before the identification, the officer holding Shafer told another officer that the man’s clothing matched the boy’s description, including the gloves and hat.

The officer also said Shafer had admitted that a child rode toward him on the sidewalk and that he had a knife in his hand when he ordered the boy to move.

Police then placed Shafer in handcuffs while waiting for the child to arrive. One officer explained that the procedure was only intended to confirm whether Shafer was the person the boy had encountered.

From the rear of the patrol vehicle, the child viewed Shafer standing with officers.

“Yep, that’s him,” the boy said.

The officer praised him for staying calm and returned him to his family. The identification, along with Shafer’s statements and the recovery of weapons, gave police the evidence they needed to move forward with an arrest.

The footage showed officers making a real effort not to push the boy into certainty. That part of the investigation is worth noting because protecting a child also means protecting the accuracy of the case, rather than rushing toward an arrest based only on emotion.

Police Arrested Him for Aggravated Assault

After the identification, officers told Shafer to place his hands behind his back.

He was informed that he was under arrest for aggravated assault. Officers used two sets of handcuffs, apparently to accommodate his size and physical condition, before placing him into a patrol vehicle.

CrimeCamNow reported that Shafer was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and transported to a local jail for booking.

The channel also noted that Winter Springs police confirmed the boy had been legally permitted to ride his bicycle on the sidewalk. That fact directly contradicted the reason Shafer gave for confronting him.

Even if sidewalk riding had been prohibited, the proper response would have been to speak with a parent, contact authorities, or simply step aside. Pointing a knife at a child would not become reasonable because of a disagreement over traffic rules.

The released body-camera footage followed the case from the frightened family’s initial report through the search, interview, weapon recovery, identification, and arrest.

What began as an ordinary bicycle ride home became a frightening encounter for an 11-year-old boy, while a dispute over where he should ride ultimately led to a 74-year-old man being taken to jail on a felony allegation.