Dearborn Boy Pushed Off, Robbed Of Bike Gets New One From State Rep

DEARBORN, MI — A Michigan state representative gave a Dearborn boy a new bike after police said a Detroit man pushed the child off his old bike onto a busy sidewalk and took it.

Alabas Farhat, who represents Dearborn and its surrounding areas in Lansing, told Patch he personally bought the 12-year-old boy a new bike to reinforce the kind of city he believes Dearborn is, a city he said that has a really strong culture of support in giving and that looks out for each other.

"When I saw the film, it was really tragic to see a child manhandled, and I figured the parents are busy, figuring out all the matters with the police, so let’s take this bike off their mind, let’s get them a bike so they don’t have to worry about finding that bike with all these serious issues," Farhat told Patch.

Last Thursday, police said Joseph Lamont Dunn, 29, pushed the boy off his bike and stole it in the area of 14541 Michigan Avenue, between Schaefer and Greenfield roads. The boy suffered minor injuries in the attack, police said.

Dunn later turned himself into police. He was charged with unarmed robbery and given a $50,000 bond. His next court date was scheduled for Aug. 1.

Farhat said he gave the new bike to the boy himself, and hopes it goes about showing that Dearborn is a community where neighbors help lift each other up.

"We expect our kids to be safe when they’re playing in their neighborhoods, and I just what to make sure this family had a warm welcome to Dearborn since they just recently moved here," Farhat said. "No matter how big of a city we live in, we all got to keep that small town feel."