Teen mistaken for trespasser in Georgia, receives gift from officer touched by his work ethic

HAPEVILLE, GA. (WTVD) -- Police responded to an Atlanta-area neighborhood about a suspected trespasser, but what the officer found would touch his heart and result in a moving act of kindness.

"You might be told one thing over the radio, and when you show up on scene it's something completely different," Officer Eric Colleran said in an interview with local ABC affiliate WSB.

Colleran took the call about a suspected trespasser. He responded to the neighborhood and found 16-year-old Keonte Evans.

Evans was not trespassing. Instead, he was doing some yard work in order to earn money to buy his five younger brothers and sisters clothes before the start of a new school year.

Colleran quickly sorted out the misunderstanding and felt moved by Evans' respectful, soft-spoken demeanor as well as his drive to help his family.

A couple days later, Colleran returned to Evans' house with a surprise for him in the trunk of his patrol car: a brand new PlayStation 5.

Emotion overtook Evans. He immediately hugged Colleran and thanked him for his kindness. He took the gaming console inside but immediately ran back outside to hug Colleran again.

"Somebody did this for you. The game is so expensive. You can't do anything but be so excited. So, I gave him a hug. A big hug at that. A very big hug. It's so sweet. Many people don't do these things for kids," Evans said.

"I didn't do any of this to end up on the news. I was just trying to help him out and let him understand that if you work hard and are honest, good things will come to you," Colleran said.

Evans told WSB he was still looking to pick up a part-time job to help his mom provide for their family. In the meantime, he hasn't let a single day slip by without playing his new PS5.