Tallahassee man beats woman, punches child in the face

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A man is facing child cruelty charges, accused of punching a young child in the face after she threatened to call the police on him for beating her mother. 

Michael Lindsey, 30, was arrested on Sunday.

Court documents say a Tallahassee Police officer was called to the Walmart on West Tennessee Street about a domestic disturbance.

When they arrived, they found a woman with scratches on her along with her four small children. The woman told the officer that her boyfriend had beat her in front of her children and kicked her and her kids out of the car the family was living in.

The victim said Lindsey had also punched one of her children in the face after the child threatened to call the police on Lindsey for hitting her mother. 

While officers were interviewing the victim, Lindsey came back to the scene, saying that they got into a fight when the victim ripped the radio out of the car and tried to hit him.

He said that he accidentally hit one of the children when he pinned the victim down to the floor.

However, a witness told police a different story, saying that Lindsey threw the victim out of the car and began to "pummel" her while the children were in the car screaming and crying.

Based on the investigation, Lindsey was arrested for domestic battery, child abuse, and criminal mischief.