A teaching moment for a Westlake dad ended with his teenage sons jumping out the second-floor window of their home and calling police Thursday afternoon.
According to Westlake police, the 46-year-old dad had previously told his two sons--ages 14 and 16--not to allow anyone in their house while they are alone, except for known relatives.
"Once you get someone in your home that's not supposed to be in, anything can happen," Bilal Abdul-Mani said on Friday.
So Abdul-Mani decided to test his children, by sending a friend over to the house while the boys were alone.
The boys failed.
After the younger son let the man in, the friend pretended to be a recently released ex-con who was owed money by the father. He then made physical threats to the boys.
The boys got scared and barricaded themselves in a bedroom, jumped from a second-floor window onto the garage roof and then landed on the ground.
The 16-year-old son ran to a neighbor's house and called 911.
When police arrived, they found out it was all a test. Abdul-Mani said he had been inside the home the entire time and never thought the kids would react in such a way.
But now, police said the prosecutor is considering child endangering charges against both men.
"We want to send a strong message, this is not the way to test your child's obedience," said Westlake Police Capt. Guy Turner.
"Okay, tell me don't do this again. I'm not a moron, I know not to do it again," Abdul-Mani said when he learned he could potentially be fined and face charges. "It's devastating to me the city doesn't understand I was educating my kids. I was educating them and I know now, I would never do it this way again."
