By Shane Mead | Staff Writer

We all love to see justice served. When someone does something wrong and is caught, punished and held accountable, there is no better feeling. And child predators are no exception. Those are some of the worst people imaginable who deserve nothing less than to rot in a prison cell for the rest of their lives.

But what’s up with these vigilante child predator catchers? You know, the guys who catch predators and beat them up, sometimes even throwing large objects at them. I’m not saying these child predators don’t deserve the worst, but there’s just something about these vigilantes that rubs me the wrong way.

I’m sure you’re familiar with Chris Hansen, the host of “How to Catch a Predator,” a show designed to catch and arrest child predators. I think everything about it was perfect, down to the actions that followed the predators’ capture. There are some ethical debates about publicly shaming the guilty, but I favor the side that couldn’t care less.

“How to Catch a Predator” is the perfect example of doing it the right way. You lure the guy in, he walks into a house, and bam — he’s trapped. There is nowhere else to go other than the dining room table, where Hansen absolutely grills you before your inevitable arrest. The show works with the police, ensuring justice is served and nothing escalates out of control.

Now, live streamers and content creators lure these predators in with the sole purpose of violence — their version of justice. These videos have blown up online, with the majority of people seeming to heavily support the physical abuse they’re watching.

But I can’t get myself on board. When I look at the people doing this predator-catching, I can’t help but wonder if they truly care about children or if they’re bloodthirsty weirdos who have to pick on someone they know can’t and won’t fight back. I mean, what other scenario can you beat the bricks out of someone and post it online? These guys are justifying the violence by doing it to predators, but I don’t see it as much more than a pathetic excuse to hit someone and get away with it.

Not to mention that no matter what the suspects have done, this is illegal. There have been numerous arrests across the country of people who have done this exact bit. The worst part is the predators are usually able to get away scot-free because the evidence becomes inadmissible when lawful procedures are not followed.

To make matters worse, these vigilantes have sometimes profiled the wrong person or even gotten themselves killed. Robert Wayne Lee II was shot and killed after confronting two teenagers (18 and 17) who were trying to solicit a minor. C’mon man, just call the police and let them handle it. Why even put yourself at risk?

In October 2024, a group of six students from Assumption University were arrested for trying to carry out one of these predator beatings, one of them even admitting they were inspired by the “Catch a Predator” trend online. Luckily for them, most of their charges were dropped.

The person attacked was a U.S. military member who was in town for his grandmother’s funeral. What a great week for that guy. To make matters worse, the attacks were posted online and his reputation was ruined — despite the fact he did nothing wrong at all.

It’s so simple. Lure the predator into a public space and have the police ready for their arrival. Predator gets arrested, your future isn’t jeopardized and nobody gets hurt.

I still firmly believe most of these people have some pent-up anger they’re releasing in the form of these loosely justified attacks of predators, which is an unhealthy habit. Add the negative implications that come with carrying out these attacks, and it just does not seem worthwhile.

So while I would love to see justice served and every predator behind bars for eternity, I will not be in support of these pointless ambush attacks.