ACWORTH, GA — The attorney for a man accused of trying to grab a toddler from a mother at an Acworth Walmart is pushing back against attempted kidnapping charges, calling the incident a misunderstanding.

Mahendra Patel remains in the Cobb County Jail without bond after police say he tried to take a child from a mother’s arms inside the store. But Patel’s attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, says her client was only trying to help and never intended to harm or take the child.

“He’s been in this community for a very long time, his wife’s a doctor, he’s a retired engineer, he owns a lot of property in Cobb…I mean, this is an upstanding member of our community,” Merchant said.

According to Merchant, Patel approached the mother who was using a motorized scooter, and asked a question about Tylenol before noticing the toddler and believing the child was about to fall. “It seems like a situation that’s just been very misconstrued,” she said.

Police say they identified Patel after he used his credit card to purchase Tylenol following the incident. The mother involved told police Patel tried to grab her son from her arms. While she has not commented in detail, she reportedly said she hopes Patel’s explanation is true but will leave the matter to the legal system.

Merchant says Patel is not a predator and is working to get the charges dismissed.