Snellville man allegedly caught on video hitting toddler goes viral, arrest made
Man allegedly abusing toddler confronted by shopper
Video captured in the parking lot of a Lilburn Kroger appears to show 44-year-old James Collins of Snellville repeatedly striking a 3-year-old and cursing. While one shopper filmed the violence, another was seen confronting him. Within days, he was identified by law enforcement, arrested and charged with cruelty to children in the first degree.
LILBURN, Ga. - A display of aggressive parenting outside a Lilburn grocery store landed a Gwinnett County man in jail Saturday.
Video of the incident obtained by FOX 5 appears to show James Collins, 44, of Snellville, repeatedly hitting and screaming at a small child in the back seat of his truck. A bystander recorded part of the incident before calling 911.
Gwinnett County police say the video has been viewed and shared thousands of times since it was taken outside the Kroger location on Five Forks Road Wednesday afternoon.
The video appears to show Collins repeatedly striking the 3-year-old child, who can be heard crying, after he’d apparently had an "accident."
"Didn't I say shut up? You ain’t getting no d-mn car. Shut up. Boy, I said shut your a-- up," he could be heard shouting in the video between hits.
A woman who saw what was happening recorded the video before calling 911 out of concern for the child’s safety while another shopper tried to step in.
The video then shows Collins starting to yell at that woman, telling her to mind her business.
Amanda Martin, who frequents that Kroger, told FOX 5 she was deeply disturbed by the video she saw on Facebook but was glad someone spoke up.
"It was completely heartbreaking. I can’t imagine a parent getting that upset with a child and everybody around them trying to intervene. You never want to put yourself in danger, but obviously they were afraid for the child," she said. "And after watching it, I’m afraid for the child."
Lizz Shaw said, as a mother to a small child, it was upsetting to watch.
"He should be locked up because that’s really hurtful. When I saw the video it really got to me," she said.
On Saturday, Gwinnett County police confirmed they were aware of the video and had assigned the case to a detective. Within hours, they announced Collins had been arrested and charged with first degree cruelty to children.
James Collins (Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department)
Police said the child sustained minor injuries and is currently being cared for by family members. The Department of Family and Child Services has also been notified.
Collins is currently in custody at the Gwinnett County Jail.