The teen told police he was asked several times to eat the candy and began to feel intimidated, telling police he was “afraid of the large shirtless male.” He eventually took one piece and ate it, after which the man stepped aside and let him leave the bathroom.

The boy rejoined his friends, and the group left the restaurant, heading toward Edwards Playground on Eden Street.

Police say the man followed the group out of the restaurant and continued trailing them to the playground, at one point asking to join in and have them pass him their basketball. He then reportedly followed them onto the court.

Officers were called to the playground just before 2 p.m. after a parent was alerted. While the suspect had already left the area. One officer stayed with the 13-year-old while calling for medical assistance, while others searched the surrounding area for the man. The child was transported to Boston Children’s Hospital for evaluation, and police later confirmed that a drug screening came back negative.

The man was eventually found on Dunstable Street and handcuffed and arrested.

According to Mass Live, the man was later identified as an unhoused individual living in Boston with a recent history of arrests, including an assault charge earlier this month in New York City. According to police, New York authorities are familiar with him and have described him as an “emotionally disturbed person.”

Officials also say he has a significant criminal record across several states, including Georgia, New York, Virginia, and North Carolina. Those records include charges related to public indecency, sexual abuse and harassment, assault and battery, and other serious offenses.