The arrest of a Michigan man took place after a TikTok video allegedly showed him abusing a child, according to police.
25-year-old John Wesley Hanley III has been identified as the accused. The child who is under the age of five can be seen being verbally disciplined by Hanley for kicking dirt while standing in line for a food truck, said reports.
A concerned citizen notified the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 14 of a video that shows a man dragging a child by the arm before he hits the kid in the face via email, police told the media.
Hanley who is a Flint resident can then be seen dragging the child by the arm through the parking lot before he knocks the child to the ground.
Through the TikTok video and surveillance footage, police determined that the incident took place in Pontiac and identified Hanley as the suspect. He was taken into custody on Friday, Oct. 21.
His relationship with the child is still not clear.
According to Oakland County Sheriff Micheal Bouchard, the actions seen in the video were disgusting. To see a grown man hitting a toddler in the face and putting him to the ground was extremely disturbing.
He said, “The actions depicted in this video are abhorrent. Seeing a grown man strike a toddler in the face, decking him to the ground is extremely disturbing,” in a statement.
The Sheriff also thanked the people responsible for bringing the video to the attention of the authorities and also encouraged others to do the same thing if they come to witness any acts of crime on any of the social media platforms.
He said, “I want to thank the person(s) for bringing this TikTok video to our attention and encourage others to do the same if they witness criminal acts on any social media platform.”
According to reports, a welfare check was conducted to determine the well-being of the child involved.
Hanley was charged with one count of fourth-degree child abuse, said reports. He appeared in court on Saturday, Oct. 22, where his bond was set at $20,000.
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