A father who beat a suspected child molester unconscious before calling 911 is speaking out about what happened and says it was the victim who saved the accused rapist's life.

The father says he came home from the store and heard something in a back bedroom. When he walked in, he says he saw a family friend, 18-year-old Raymond Frolander molesting his 11-year-old son. The dad says he began beating Frolander, and after he was knocked out, went to the kitchen to get a knife to kill him.

He says that's when his son stopped him. "My son stepped in front of me and saved his life, just looked at me and said sir and shook his head and I just put the knife down. I didn't want to traumatize him any more than he already was," the father told a Florida tv station.

The father called 911 and told dispatchers what happened. Daytona Beach police say Frolander was still unconscious when they showed up. He was taken to the hospital, and then to jail. The father was not charged.

The father says his family is trying to heal, and his son is in counseling. But he says he wanted to talk publicly about the case to let victims of sex crimes know they shouldn't be afraid to come forward.