Cop stops kids fighting by staging relay race for free slushy

A Cincinnati police officer called out to break up a fight between children has resolved it in an unexpected way: by offering a slushy drink to the victor of a specially staged relay race.

Following reports of children fighting at around 8.30pm last week, Mount Healthy Officer Onam Williams attended the scene to find a group of kids in the midst of an argument on the street.

The quick-thinking father-of-six, Mr Williams decided to put an end to the argument by organising a relay race, with a slushy as a prize.

“What I try to do with the juveniles here is treat them as if they're my own children,” Mr Williams told local broadcaster WLWT.

“Sometimes I use a stern voice, and other times I have them do some kind of physical labour, like racing, doing push-ups and stuff like that, and they seem to react well to it."

Mr Williams ultimately ended up rewarding all of the children with a slushy to congratulate them for their efforts.

Neighbour Dawn Walter recorded the encounter and posted it to Facebook, where it has been viewed tens of thousands of times.

“What I witnessed was an example of Mount Healthy's finest at work,” she wrote in her post.

“I'm still smiling as this officer and these kids just made my night.”