GROVE CITY, Ohio – An Ohio father is sitting behind bars on a $100,000 bond after he posed as his 11-year-old daughter on TikTok, lured the man accused of raping her to the family home, and shot him twice – while the alleged predator faces a significantly lower bond despite being charged with multiple counts of rape and possession of child sexual abuse material.
According to court records and local reports, the nightmare began on July 15 when the girl’s mother discovered a video on her daughter’s phone that appeared to show the child being sexually assaulted inside their Grove City home. Police were called to the Parlin Drive residence.
Less than 24 hours later, 31-year-old Malik Chandler took matters into his own hands. Investigators say he messaged 20-year-old Diego Montoya Gonzalez on TikTok while posing as his daughter and arranged for the man to return to the home. Chandler later told detectives he planned to confront and hold the suspect until police arrived. When Montoya Gonzalez showed up and reached into his pocket, Chandler said he feared the man had a gun and opened fire, striking him twice.
Chandler then set the weapon down and surrendered to authorities by phone. Montoya Gonzalez was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and survived.
Prosecutors later found multiple videos of child sexual abuse material on Montoya Gonzalez’s phone, including footage involving an infant or toddler. A Franklin County grand jury indicted him on two counts of rape, five counts of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, and one count of obstructing official business. He has pleaded not guilty.
Yet the bond disparity has sparked widespread outrage. Chandler was charged with felonious assault and hit with a $100,000 bond. Montoya Gonzalez received a $20,000 recognizance bond plus a $50,000 cash/surety bond, roughly half the cash amount demanded of the father who acted to protect his child.
Local video from the scene shows police tape surrounding the apartment complex and the exterior of the home where the shooting occurred. Courtroom footage captures Montoya Gonzalez in a jail jumpsuit during proceedings, while reporters on the ground have detailed the family’s ordeal and the father’s claim of self-defense.
Chandler has a limited prior record, including a dismissed 2021 domestic charge and a 2017 misdemeanor conviction that did not prohibit him from legally possessing a firearm under Ohio law. Ohio’s self-defense statutes generally allow the use of force, including deadly force, when a person reasonably believes it is necessary to protect themselves or others from imminent harm, with no duty to retreat in many situations.
The case has ignited fierce debate online and among commentators about parental rights, vigilante justice, and whether the justice system prioritizes the rights of accused predators over the safety of children and the parents who defend them. Both men face separate felony cases in the same courthouse as the investigation continues.
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