The police department in Bryam, Mississippi, USA got an urgent phone call reporting a grave crime on Saturday. “I just want to tell you something,” started the phone call (audio below). “Watch for that little Grinch. Because the Grinch is gonna steal Christmas, okay?” said the five-year-old boy on the line.

TyLon Pittman had been watching YouTube videos of How the Grinch Stole Christmas at his home, and became suddenly afraid for himself and little boys and girls his age. The vigilant citizen immediately placed a call to 911 to report the impending threat, but was later interrupted by his father, who apologised and said his son was just playing on the phone.

The police officer, however, took the call very seriously, and visited the boy’s home (videos top and below). She told the little boy that she would protect him from the Grinch and that he had saved Christmas, but not before making Christmas extra special for him.

The police department took him to tour the police station on Monday and surprised him by showing the “Grinch” captured at the back of a police car, and asked TyLon to lock up the holiday thief himself – which he happily did. However, the little kindergartener reluctantly let out the Grinch after a while who commended him on his bravery. “Then the Grinch talked to him and said he was sorry and that he would stop stealing Christmas presents,” his mother, TeResa Brown Pittman, told ABC News.

The boy’s elder brother, TeDera Graves, who captured all the videos and posted them on Facebook, said that TyLon always wanted to be a police officer. He told Washington Post, “We thought it was funny, we were shocked he actually did it. But we had a talk with him about when it’s OK to call 911.”