LAKELAND, FL — A man who tried to help a lost 2-year-old girl find her family at a Lakeland sports complex over the weekend was beaten and accused of kidnapping for his troubles, according to police.

The repercussions the good Samaritan faced didn't end when the Lakeland Police Department declined to press charges against him either. The little girl's family and their friends also took to Facebook to call out the man as a predator, the police department reported. Get the Lakeland Patch newsletter and alerts in your inbox.

The incident that ignited the brouhaha began to unfold shortly before 3:30 p.m. June 24 at the 1444 W. Highland St. Southwest Sports Complex. The good Samaritan was at the park to watch friends play softball, a police report said. The man, who police describe as the victim in the case, overheard several people say there was a small child lost in the complex. Moments later, the report said, the man spotted a 2-year-old girl wandering around alone. The man went to the girl and asked her to show him were her daddy was, the report said. The girl pointed toward the playground, so the man took her hand and began walking in that direction.

As they walked, the victim asked the little girl if any of the men they passed happened to be her father. The child said no several times "but soon began to become agitated," the report said. She tried to pull away, but the victim was concerned for her safety so he picked her up and continued to walk toward the playground "hoping that he would be able to locate the child's father," the report said. When the two were nearing the playground, three men approached the victim from behind. One of the men took the girl from the victim's hands while the other two hit the victim "in the face, repeatedly," the report said.

Watch: Man Facebook Shamed For Helping Lost Girl

The investigating officer noted the victim's face was swollen and had several cuts.

After speaking to the parties involved and talking with a witness who heard the victim repeatedly ask the little girl if men they saw happened to be her father, the officer decided no crime had been committed by the victim. Instead, the report noted, the the victim was asked if he wanted to press charges against the men who hit him. While the victim declined to seek prosecution on battery charges, saying he understood how the incident could be "perceived incorrectly," the father was not happy with the outcome. The report noted the little girl's dad was "increasingly agitated" that charges would not be filed against the man he found his daughter with.