Flint man charged after viral TikTok video shows him striking child
(CBS DETROIT) - A Flint man has been charged after the Oakland County Sheriff's Office was alerted of a child abuse incident that was being shared through a video on TikTok.
John Wesley Hanley III, 25, was charged with one count of fourth-degree child abuse.
Officials say a concerned citizen sent them the viral video on Oct. 14, and an initial investigation revealed the incident happened near the 1200 block of Perry St. in Pontiac.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, the TikTok video shows a man verbally disciplining a child under the age of five for kicking dirt while standing in line at a food truck. After that, the video shows the man dragging the child by the arm through the parking lot and aggressively striking the child in the face.
Police say they determined the location of the incident through the video and then obtained security footage from the retail establishment that was in the video.
After using social media to search for the suspect, police arrested Hanley in the afternoon on Friday.
In addition to this, a welfare check was conducted to check on the wellbeing of the child.
"The actions depicted in this video are abhorrent," Sheriff Bouchard said. "Seeing a grown man, strike a toddler in the face, decking him to the ground is extremely disturbing. Violence of this nature, especially when it involves children, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I am proud of the investigative team for their diligence in bringing swift justice in this case". Sheriff further added "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."
Hanley was arraigned and bond was set at $20,000.