A Cop, Skip and a Jump: Cop Plays Hopscotch With Homeless Girl to Comfort Her

A California cop entertains a homeless girl by playing hopscotch with her in video that has gone viral.

A homeless girl was schooled in hopscotch by a California cop who wanted to take her mind off not having a house to live in.

Huntington Beach Police Department Officer Zach Pricer, responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle, discovered instead a mother and daughter living out of their car.

Read: Homeless Panhandler Goes Into Cafe, Gets Job Instead of Spare Change

While another officer called the department’s homeless task force, Pricer wanted to distract the child from a very adult problem.

“For an 11-year-old girl, to see a police officer towering over her is a scary thing,” Pricer told the Orange County Register. “I was trying to break the ice and get her to feel comfortable with me.”

Using his set of keys as a lagger, Pricer hopped up and down the chalk-drawn grid, explaining the rules as he jumped.

Read: Watch Navy Vet Stop Suicidal Man From Jumping On Train Tracks

The department posted video of the encounter on its Facebook page, where it has been viewed more than 667,000 times, received more than 31,000 comments and has been shared more than 6,700 times.

Officers are trying to find shelter for the mother and daughter.

Watch: Homeless Man Gets $100,000 Reward for Helping Cops Catch Fugitives