Snellville Man Arrested for Beating Three-Year-Old in Viral Video

The Gwinnett County Police Department has arrested James Collins, a 44-year-old male from Snellville, after a video shared online showed him striking a three-year-old child. Investigators were notified on August 10th about the video, which had been shared online several thousand times.

The footage depicted Collins yelling at the child to “shut up,” cursing, and beating the child mercilessly in the backseat of his white pickup truck. During the incident, a woman walking by attempted to intervene verbally, but Collins berated her and told her to mind her own business. The woman is seen taking note of Collins’ license plates.

Detectives responded to the Kroger located at 3050 Five Forks Trickum Road in Lilburn, Georgia, where they obtained surveillance footage that verified the incident. Collins was later located at his residence and arrested. The child sustained minor injuries and is currently being cared for by family members. The Department of Family and Child Services has been notified.

Collins has been charged with cruelty to children in the first degree and is being held in the Gwinnett County Jail.