Woman sparks online debate after 'kidnapping' son's bully
A mother is accused of forcibly taking her autistic son's bully to her home and demanding that the 11-year-old apologise.
A debate has erupted online after a frustrated woman in America allegedly 'kidnapped' her son's bully.
Shannon Tufuga is also accused of taking the boy to her home and demanding that he apologise to her autistic son.
According to reports, police have now charged the 40-year-old with second-degree kidnapping and aggravated child abuse.
The Utah mom was allegedly driving around looking for the boy when she spotted him riding a bicycle. She stopped the tween and confronted him about the alleged bullying.
Tufuga then made the boy jump into her vehicle and transported him to her house without the knowledge or permission of his parents, per charge sheet details shared by KLS.com.
When they arrived at the home, the 11-year-old apologised as instructed, but Tufuga then threatened to have her husband beat him up.
She is accused of then telling the boy that he was "lucky" she did not run over his bicycle with her vehicle.
The alleged bully is said to have "suffered serious emotional distress" after the incident, which took place in September 2025. His mother told police that he also has "high anxiety".
How to handle a school bully
Despite the serious charges, many parents showed their support for the mom on social media, saying that her actions, while wrong, were "understandable".
"Listen, I'm not saying she's right, but I understand," one woman wrote on Facebook.
Another woman added: "As a mom of an autistic child, I thought that was over the top. Then I thought... is it?"
Some also remarked that bullying often goes unchecked, forcing parents to take matters into their own hands.
"I bet he won’t bully again. I bet he won’t bully again."
Men also joined moms in defending Tufuga. "Give her a badge, there's a new sheriff in town," one man wrote on Facebook. Another man added: "Not all heroes wear capes."
However, not everyone was impressed. Some slammed the mom's actions, noting that "two wrongs make a right".
Parents need to teach their kids to be better to others, and sometimes that lesson needs to be taught by another parent.
As tempting as it might seem to confront your child's bully in this way, it can lead to serious consequences.
It is important not to panic when you learn that your child is being bullied.
"For behaviour to be labelled as bullying, it has to be persistent (repeated over time) and intentionally designed to hurt or frighten your child. Remember the bully has power and control over your child," the Department of Basic Education says on its website.
Here are some tips the department shares for handling bullying:
- Assure children that you will immediately investigate and report the situation to the school principal or senior teacher.
- Find out what happened, who was involved, and when and where it happened, and keep a record of this information.
- Explain that bullies seek to hurt and control. So your child must not let them know he is hurt by their behaviour.
- Avoid being a “fix-it” dad or mom by calling the bully’s parents. Most of the time, this action is not effective. However, not all parents of bullies respond in a protective manner.
- Don’t tell your child to retaliate. It’s against the rules, and retaliation frequently makes the bullying worse and more persistent.
- Don’t tell your child to ignore the bully. Most of the time, ignoring doesn’t work.
- Watch for signs of depression and anxiety in your child, and do not hesitate to seek professional counselling.
- Don’t give up.
Visit the department's website for more tips.
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