Father is in jail after police say he kidnapped his son's classmate

BALTIMORE -  

A Baltimore City man is charged with kidnapping; police say he took matters into his own hands after a fight at his son's school.

The fight happened on November 5, outside Yorkwood Elementary School in Northeast Baltimore.

The father faces serious criminal charges; the boy and his mother say he didn't do anything wrong.

Eight-year-old Donald Shields is in the third grade at Yorkwood; he says some older boys have been bullying him for at least the past month.

“They've just been picking on me and (that day) was the day they was not going to just talk to me they was just going to bam in my face; hit me,” he said.

The fight happened outside of the school, which has declared November "Bully Prevention Month."

After it broke up, Donald's Mother -- Tia Drakes -- says the boy's father arrived to pick him up from school.

“Dad thought he was doing the right thing. Saw one of the children half a block away, and took the child back to school,” she said.  “Pulled up the child and told the child get into this car I'm taking you back to school.”

But police say he locked the door of the car, and wouldn't let the other boy out.

Donald Shields, Sr. is charged with assault, kidnapping and false imprisonment.

Now he's being held at Central Booking.

“The only reason why he did that was because none of the teachers or administration that was present at the time knew the identity of the child,” Drakes said.

Police say the boy that Donald Shields Sr. drove back to the school was not injured.

Donald shields Jr. is back at Yorkwood Elementary, unsure whether his father will be available to give him a ride home anytime soon.

“I hope he will be out of here for Christmas, he said.  “And if he comes out of here for Christmas he will be my Christmas gift."

Tia Drakes says she's gotten letters from teachers at the school in support of her husband.

Efforts to reach the boy who family members say started the fight were not successful.