A Gwinnett County man is facing charges after a video that reportedly shows him hitting a toddler went viral on social media. James Collins, 44, of Snellville, was arrested by Gwinnett police on Saturday, charged with cruelty to children, as per reports from WSB-TV. The video, which has been shared widely across platforms, appears to show Collins hitting a 3-year-old child and screaming at them in the back seat of his truck in a Kroger parking lot on Five Forks Road.
Witnesses, shocked by the intensity of the aggression, took action with one bystander recording the incident they immediately called 911, and it was later revealed by FOX 5 that a woman attempted to intervene when she saw what was happening. Caught on the video is Collins purportedly uttering harsh words to the toddler, including, "Didn't I say shut up? You ain’t getting no d-mn car. Shut up. Boy, I said shut your a-- up," amidst the child's cries for help or comfort. Community members have expressed their disturbance, with one local and mother Lizz Shaw, telling the same outlet she believes "He should be locked up because that’s really hurtful. When I saw the video it really got to me"
Police were quick to confirm their awareness of the situation and proceeded with an investigation bolstered by the obtained surveillance video from the store. Though details of the investigation remain limited to protect its integrity, as WSB-TV reports, officials did share that the child sustained minor injuries and is currently in the care of family members. The involvement of the Department of Family and Child Services has also been confirmed.
The Lilburn Police Chief, Chris Dusik, highlighted the role of social media in the case but clarified their jurisdictional boundaries noting that the incident did not occur within Lilburn city limits and thus, their department was not involved in the response or investigation. Collins, meanwhile, is being held in the Gwinnett County Jail with his bond set at $4,600 according to jail records as seen in the report by WSB-TV. The community, while faced with the raw visceral reaction to the footage, waits as the due process takes its course in what now stands as another stark reminder of the surveillance culture and the mobilization toward justice that it can sometimes precipitate when paired with the collective concern for the welfare of the vulnerable.
