Well this is perfect ammo for dissenters of violent video games.
The 9-year-old boy who made headlines after he passed security and hopped a flight to Las Vegas with no ticket apparently thinks he’s playing Grand Theft Auto, according to the boy’s father.
If you recall, the boy was detained days before the flight after he allegedly stole a truck.
During a press conference, the boy’s father tearfully told reporters that he has sought help for his son’s behavioral problems numerous times.
“Somebody help me, please,” the father, who did not reveal his name, told reporters between sobs at a news conference hosted by the MAD DADS fathers’ organization in Minneapolis. The boy “wasn’t listening. (He does) what he wants to do.”
He then added that the boy didn’t fully understand what he had done when he stole the vehicle on October 1st. The truck had keys in the ignition and was stolen out of a business parking lot, according to a police report.
“He told the police officer he thought he was playing ‘Grand Theft Auto,'” the father said. The MAD DADS spokesman added that the family does not own the video game.
With his hoodie drawn to hide his face and identity, the father told reporters about his regret of not knowing his son had disappeared the day he hopped on the Las Vegas flight.
“I’m not perfect. We assumed he was at a friend’s house,” the father said.
MAD DADS — Men Against Destruction, Defending Against Drugs and Social Disorder — said it would offer the dad support, including possibly mentoring the boy.
It’s unclear when the boy will be returned to his family.
