Police officer uses own money to pay for hotel for homeless woman and baby

A hungry, homeless woman and her baby took refuge in the lobby of a Hyattsville police station in Maryland saying she had nowhere else to go and that she was a victim of domestic violence.

Thanks to Cpl. Che’ Atkinson’s kind actions, she ended up spending the night at a hotel instead of the street.

Now, thousands have taken notice of his good deed on Facebook after a few photos were posted on the police department’s page.

“I’m a little overwhelmed and shocked,” Atkinson told WUSA9. “And the reason why is it didn’t seem like a big deal to me because I see other officers do stuff like this all the time.”

Atkinson has worked as a police officer with the Prince George’s County Police Department for years. Last week he noticed the unidentified woman with her one-year-old daughter sitting in the lobby at the station.

The woman had several bags with her and told Atkinson that she recently escaped an abusive home and was homeless, according to the police department’s Facebook.

Atkinson said he spent all morning contacting a social worker for assistance and also reached out to a distant relative to take the woman and child.

The next day, when Atkinson returned to the station he saw the same woman with her child sitting in the lobby and learned the two hadn’t eaten in days.

It turns out the relative wouldn’t be able to come for at least another day.

That’s when Atkinson went out of his way to help the woman and child out.

“With his own money, Cpl. Atkinson rented the woman and her child a hotel room,” the post reads. “He found a child car seat and put it in his cruiser in order to safely transport the little girl to the hotel. He also brought them food and drinks.”

As Atkinson packed their luggage in a patrol car, a colleague snapped a few pictures without Atkinson realizing.

The photos have since gone viral with over 16,000 likes with many applauding the officer’s ‘beautiful act of kindness.”

After the night in hotel, the woman and her child are now with their relatives.