6 year old buys cops lunch

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A 6-year-old boy is being praised for a random act of kindness.

Three police officers who sat down for lunch were moved to find out a child paid for their meal.

The officers made a Facebook post thanking their unknown benefactor, and with a little digging we were able to find out who the boy was.

Young Noah Knauff just graduated kindergarten.

Among the 6-year-old's talents is saving money he's gotten from birthdays, doing chores, and the Tooth Fairy.

In terms of what he's learned about being generous, he's ahead of his years.

"I really want to be nice to people because I'm a nice kid," Noah told WSAZ Friday evening at his home in Charleston.

"We do a lot of things at our church, and I feel like he's really learned to care for other people," Noah's mother Jennifer said.

Thursday, he and his mom sat down for lunch at Pizza Hut in Kanawha City.

"He respects people in uniform," Jennifer said. "They're his heroes."

"They always like to help people," Noah said of his admiration for the police. "If you're stuck up a tree, they might help you a little bit."

Noah got excited when three Charleston police officers walked into the restaurant.

His mother says he wanted to go up and say hi to them but was too shy, so he decided he wanted to pay for their meal instead.

"They really help our neighborhood because they arrest bad people," Noah said, "and I really wanted to pay for them."

"I was pretty shocked," Jennifer said, "but Noah is very bright. He's very caring, and he's been empathetic to other people."

Noah and his mom paid for the officers and left.

Sgt. Paul Perdue says he and the officers later went up to pay, and the cashier told them it had been taken care of.

He and his colleagues had to fight back tears when they found out who'd picked up their tab.

"That's a really big act of giving for a child that age," Perdue said. "It was a very touching moment for all of us. We deal with a lot of negative stuff day to day, and it's one of those things that not only makes your day, it makes your year."

"He's always had a good heart," Jennifer said. "As a mother, that's what's most important."

Noah says maybe one day he'd like to be a police officer himself, or possibly a scientist.