Cop called to arrest boy sneaking into gym buys him membership instead

A teenager who kept sneaking into a fitness club in the US to make use of their basketball facilities was greeted with a nice surprise when the police turned up.

Instead of arresting teen Vincent Gonzales for trespassing, Police Officer Maria Valenti offered to pay $150 of his own money towards a membership for him.

Gonzales couldn't believe the gesture, US broadcaster ABC 7 reports.

"I thought it was really nice. I texted him and I said, "Thank you, That meant a lot"," he said.

Gonzales repeatedly came back to the court in Illinois to practice his basketball skills even though his membership had lapsed.

XSport Fitness employee Justin Pritchett said Gonzales would just appear out of no where.

"It was kind of like a magic show. He would just randomly appear, not walking past the front desk," he said.

"All of our entrances and exits are blocked. And sure enough, he would just show up on the basketball court. He just wanted to play ball."

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Management had warned Gonzales about coming back to the facility as him not having a membership was a liability for them.

Mr Valenti said he knew Gonzales meant well.

"After 23 years in this job, you size up people pretty quickly. And I could tell he was a gentle type of kid," he said.

The teen was given a two-year membership after the club decided to waive any extra fees after the $150.