He grabbed Kendrick's arm and pulled him toward the cruiser. "You're coming with me."
"This is a misunderstanding," Kendrick said. "I didn't do anything wrong."
Collins twisted Kendrick's arms behind his back and locked the handcuffs around his wrists. Kendrick stood in the middle of the street, terrified and publicly restrained, while Melissa watched and neighbors recorded from multiple angles. Then a young voice came from down the street.
"Wait! Stop! Let him go!"
The boy whose bicycle had been stolen was running toward them as fast as he could. His face was red, tear-streaked, and exhausted. He had been searching the area hoping to find his bike. When he noticed the police car and crowd, he had run toward them thinking someone might have recovered it.
As he got closer, he saw the red bicycle near the curb. Then he saw Kendrick in handcuffs, with Collins holding his arm. Confusion stopped the boy for only a second before he began running even faster.
"Wait! Let him go! He's telling the truth. That bike is mine!"
Collins turned toward him. The boy pointed first to the red bicycle and then directly at Kendrick.
"A man stole my bike near the park. This guy chased him down and got it back for me. He saved my bike. Why is he getting arrested?"
The neighbors recording the scene became still. Some lowered their phones. Others looked toward Melissa, who had been standing beside Collins as if the arrest confirmed everything she believed.
Collins looked at the boy, then Kendrick, then back at the boy. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," the boy said immediately. "I saw it. A man in black took my bike. I tried to stop him, but he was too strong. Kendrick chased him on his own bike and made him drop mine. He was bringing it back to me."
Melissa stepped forward. "Are you absolutely sure? Maybe you're confused."
The boy turned toward her, tears still on his face. "I'm not confused. He helped me. He didn't steal anything. You're trying to get him arrested for helping me."
His voice broke again as he looked at Collins. "Please let him go. He didn't do anything wrong."
Collins stood in silence. He looked at the boy, the bicycles, Kendrick, and the growing crowd. With so many witnesses and so many phones recording, he could no longer ignore what the actual victim was telling him.
He unlocked the handcuffs. Kendrick brought his arms forward and rubbed his wrists where the metal had pressed against his skin. He said nothing for several seconds. He was still processing how quickly trying to help someone had become a public arrest.
The boy walked toward him. "I'm sorry they did this to you. Thank you for getting my bike back. You didn't have to chase him, but you did. Thank you."
Kendrick managed a small nod. "It's okay. I'm glad you got it back."
Melissa tried to defend herself, but one of the neighbors interrupted. "You called the police on him for helping a kid. What was that about?"
Another neighbor added, "He was returning a stolen bike, and you assumed he was the thief. That's not okay, Melissa."