Gwinnett man arrested after viral video appears to show him hitting child in Kroger parking lot

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett police have arrested a man they say is seen in a viral video hitting a 3-year-old child in a parking lot.

James Collins, 44, was arrested on Saturday and charged with cruelty to children.

They say they have received several messages and comments about the video shared several thousand times on social media, so they opened an investigation.

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Lilburn Police Chief Chris Dusik acknowledged the video, saying social media users were claiming that it happened at the Kroger on Five Forks Trickum Road, which is not in Lilburn city limits and they, therefore, did not respond and are not investigating.

The video shows a man loading groceries into a truck while yelling. Users who posted the video claimed the man was shouting at a child.

Police say they were able to get surveillance video from the store to confirm the incident.

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Investigators say the child had minor injuries and is being cared for by family members. They did not comment on Collins’ relationship to the child.

Investigators say they cannot release more details on the video or their investigation because doing so may jeopardize it.

Collins is being held in the Gwinnett County Jail on a $4,600 bond, according to jail records.

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