Bakersfield Man Arrested After Punching Child In Face

Shocking surveillance video is sparking outrage across the country. A man is seen chasing a toddler through a Bakersfield store. He catches up to the boy and punches him in the face, knocking the child to the floor.

"Oh my goodness. Oh my god," one Fresno grandmother said.

"I don’t know what I would do if something happened like that to my kids. I wouldn’t let it," a Fresno father said.

The man immediately jerks the crying child to his feet, and a woman takes him out of the market.

The store owner believes the incident happened early Thursday afternoon.

Police became aware of the video circling through Facebook Thursday night, and they arrested the man, 23-year-old Justin Whittington early Friday morning for child endangerment.

Esther Franco with Fresno Council on Child Abuse Prevention says the video is disturbing, but not surprising.

"That’s happening in a lot of households, here in the valley and in the nation," Franco said.

She said what was really surprising was the woman’s response.

"Her reaction made it seem like this was a common scenario. She wasn’t really upset that her child, I’m assuming it’s her child, was basically beaten," Franco said.

She says child abuse happens every day, but says one thing that can make it better is education.

"Children don’t come with instructions. You have to read ages and stages. You have to empower yourself and learn and read on how to deal with your child’s behavior," Franco said.

Whittington is being held on a one million dollar bond. The child was at the home when he was arrested. He was checked out by medical aid and left at the home Friday morning.

April is also National Child Abuse Prevention Month so it’s the perfect time to help create awareness on the heartbreaking problem.