Man filmed punching child to the ground in shopping centre fight
WARNING – DISTRESSING CONTENT: A man who allegedly punched a girl to the ground at a shopping centre has been charged with assault.
US man David Steven Bell, 51, knocked out a girl younger than 12 outside the Asheville mall in North Carolina, US, according to Police.
The incident occurred when a group of kids started fighting according to local outlet WLOS.
In a video posted online, a group surrounds a man and a girl wearing a black jacket pushes him.
The same girl steps forward to confront him again and he pushes her away. When she charges at him, he knocks her out cold to the ground.
A shopper who was at the Asheville Mall on Saturday night but who did not witness the fight emailed Yahoo Lifestyle a longer video clip that shows the man yelling, “Break it up!” at the teens.
“I have heard locally that there was a fight outside and Mr Bell went to break it up,” she told Yahoo Lifestyle.
“One of the girls got mad because he interfered, and it escalated from there,” Christina Hallingse, a public information officer at the Asheville Police Department, tells Yahoo Lifestyle.
“On Saturday evening, a fight involving juveniles occurred at the Asheville Mall,” Ms Hallingse said.
“During the course of the fight David Steven Bell, 51, of Black Mountain, pushed a juvenile, as well as struck her.
“An off-duty officer arrested Bell and he was charged with assault on a female under 12 and two counts of assault on a female.
“All victims refused transport to the hospital. The incident is under further investigation.”
Names and details about the parties were omitted in a police incident report sent to Yahoo Lifestyle.
All victims declined medical attention, according to the Ashville Citizen-Times.
