8-year-old popped for stealing candy from his mother

MOBILE, Ala. -- You might call this "tough love." A Mobile County mother had enough of her 8-year-old son stealing candy from their home.

She decided to get the Mobile Police involved, and she posted the confrontation on social media.

The minute and a half video received a lot of attention; the young boy was put in handcuffs and placed in the back of a squad car.

He wasn't really arrested but Canesha Dread said she wanted to teach her son a life lesson.

"I said, I'm going to save you this time but I can't next time... This is where criminals go," Dread told WALA.

His mother said he was stealing bags of candy. He was also eating boxes of sweets and secretly discarding the box.

"You could not have told me an 8-year-old was eating a whole box of honey buns," Dread said.

Her concern was he would grow up and steal from other people.

"I've taken his TV., made him stay in his room, he can't do anything but read his book books... and that doesn't work," she said.

Mobile Police played along before the 8-year-old was released. He promised his mother he would not steal candy again.