Bakersfield man Justin Whittington was arrested for punching his toddler son inside a grocery store, and now new video shows even more of the violent and disturbing incident.
Video of the brutal attack went viral on Thursday after a store employee shared it with the internet. The video was among the highest-voted stories on the link-sharing site Reddit, though at the time the Bakersfield man seen striking the toddler was not identified.
The video showed a young boy running through the store, then showed his father running to the boy and delivering a hard punch that sent the boy sprawling to the ground, crying. The man then yanked the child up by his arm, where another woman took the boy’s arm and walked him out of the store.
The original video can be seen here, but be warned that it is disturbing:
But late on Thursday, police announced that they had arrested 23-year-old Justin Whittington, identifying him as the young boy’s father. He was charged with child endangerment.
The mystery of the man’s identity did not last long. Store owner Harry Dindral said he recognized Whittington as a regular at the store. Dindral said he was in the back room when the attack took place, but a store employee ran back and told him to watch the surveillance video.
“That was horrible, man,” Dindral told the New York Daily News . “The worst thing I’ve ever seen.”
Now, new video is circulating showing more of the disturbing incident. In the 23-second clip, the man identified as Jason Whittington can be seen bending over to say something to the toddler, who appears to be sitting on the ground behind a shelf, out of view of the camera.
The man then grabs the toddler by the arm, yanking him into the air where he dangles limp, his arm nearly dislocating from the shoulder.
After the man yells something in the toddler’s face he lets go, and the boy runs away to the front of the store.
The new video appears to have taken place before the Bakersfield man punched the boy, as it still shows the man, woman, and toddler all inside the store.
The boy was reportedly unharmed by the incident, and was examined at his home by a medical worker but did not need to go to the hospital.
The Bakersfield man seen striking the toddler is being held in Kern County Jail. His bail has been set a $1 million. Justin Whittington is due back in court on Monday.
