Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Police Department said a pair of handcuffs taken from an officer more than 60 years ago arrived in a package along with a letter of apology from the now-grandfather who walked off with them.
The LAPD tweeted photos Thursday showing the handcuffs and letter that arrived along with a $100 payment recently.
The letter was authored by a 74-year-old grandfather from Vista who wrote he had taken the handcuffs off the ground when an officer dropped them during an altercation at a local Bob's Big Boy restaurant more than 60 years ago.
"I have felt a little guilty each time I saw the handcuffs over the years, but did nothing about it," the man wrote.
The man said he decided to finally return the handcuffs to set a good example for his grandsons, ages 6 and 9.
"They were aghast and asked me why I stole the handcuffs from a policeman. I, of course, had no good explanation and I told them it was the wrong thing to do and I wasn't proud of it and then I danced around the subject," the letter states.
The man wrote that he wanted to make amends by returning the cuffs with a $100 donation to the department.
"It's never too late to do the right thing," the police department tweeted.
