The father is an adult. His legal option was to call the police and file charges, leading to the arrest of the 17 year old for statutory rape. When the father took the law into his own hands, he set himself up for a slam-dunk prosecution for battery. My old grandfater used to say, "Two 'wrongs' do not make a 'right'."
The father is an adult.
Good point . The adult father acts like a child and everyone wants to give him a pass.
Meanwhile they want to hold the minor to an adult standard.
I've also noticed that girls mature faster than boys so the maturity level of this couple is more than likely equal yet everyone acts like she is a toddler and didn't know what was going on.
That may not have been his *only* legal option. It depends on local law. There is a such a thing as a citizen's arrest. The police would probably laugh their asses off if you filed a statutory rape complaint with them. It would certainly be a low priority effort for them, at least in most cities.
His lawyer may argue that is exactly what he was doing, and that the punk resisted arrest. From the little description we have, it's even possible that this may have started as a verbal confrontation, and the kid escalated it with the wrong Dad. The outcome might depend on what the witnesses have to say.