Robert Richardson, from Quincy, Massachusetts, dialled 911 to get in touch with the police after his father, Michael Richardson, ran a red light while the two were out running errands.
Michael said that after stopping at a light, he proceeded to take a right turn on red.
As he rolled through the intersection, Robert belted out that his dad had broken the law.
"I told him to stop, but he didn't listen," Robert was quoted as saying by the Boston Globe.
Robert warned his father that as soon as they returned home, he was going to notify the police.
Michael laughed and brushed off the comment but Robert was not bluffing.
As Michael, his wife, Joleen, and their 18-month-old daughter enjoyed the sunny weather, Robert headed with determination to the house to call 911.
"My daddy went past a red light," he replied.
The dispatcher asked him what happened next to which Robert said, "We had to go to the car wash and then he went past the red light."
At that point in the call, the dispatcher asked Robert to get his father. Robert's father got on the line and quickly realised what the call is about.
"Oh no, I apologise," he said with a laugh, before telling the dispatcher there is no emergency.
Karen Barkas, a detective with Quincy police, told the daily that no ticket was issued to the father.
