A police officer in Arlington, Texas, gave a teenager the option of being cited for marijuana possession or doing 200 pushups after the boy was caught smoking pot outside a movie theater.
Police Lt. Christopher Cook said Arlington officer Eric Ball was working an off-duty detail at the theater Monday night when he encountered the teen discarding something that looked like a cigarette, but had a strong odor of marijuana.
Cook says the boy was respectful and realized he'd made a mistake, so Ball told him "You give me 200 pushups, I won't put you in jail."
He says Ball played football under coaches who used push-ups to ensure discipline. The teen opted to try the exercise.
Ball found the boy's mother inside and the woman hugged and thanked the officer.
Raiza Paredez posted a video on Facebook showing the teen struggling to complete the pushups. The video has been viewed more than 100,000 times. [[408597695,C]]
Paredez wrote on Facebook Wednesday that she didn't intend to get the officer in trouble, but wanted to show that "there are still good police officers."
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"Instead of giving the boy a record he's trying to help him," she wrote. "There's more young men out here that need strong men like this in their lives."