Man Slaps Stranger's Toddler: "If You Don't Shut That Baby Up I WIll Shut Her Up For You"

Well, that's kind of horrible. That guy looks like someone you wouldn't want to piss off, that's for sure.

first of all protect your child. if he somehow managed to slap my child, i'd pound him into a pulp.

Man, I think that dude is cool. He's actually acting on the notion that a lot of people feel when there's annyoing crying kids around.

What do you expect in a trash oriented shop like Wall Mart. That kid wouldn't even been there if it's parents had any brains.

Definitely not neat!

Well crying kids in shops can actually turn the place into utter Hell and drive you up the walls....
But couldn't he better have just shoved that kid out of the shop....?

Personally ....

I feel this guy was wrong to smack a 2year old ....

but @ the same time I also feel that ALL KIDS OUGHT TO BE KEPT ON A VERY SHORT LEASH ATTACHED TO THE BLOOMIN CART!!!!

lord knows its hard enough sometimes to navigate narrow isles while searching for something specific thats been moved or just out of stock @ the moment

He did what we all want to do. In a more just world, we would just be able to punt the kid out into the parking lot.

Where were the brainless parents of that kid when that happened? Obviously the parents weren't a bit concerned about the kid. But that's an entirely different matter.

No matter what happens, if someone slaps my kid, I'd be the one hitting the offender. I wouldn't botter calling the cops.

Both - Roger Stephens and the kid's parents - were terribly wrong in this.

No, SimonSays. There's no justification for that.

Yes, we all hate screaming children, but if we're adults, we deal with it in a more mature manner than that. That doesn't let the parents off the hook, but we don't respond to stupidity with violence, especially violence against a child.

And hitting the slapper would probably just escalate things.

@ ted: you're probably right, but it surely feels like it. I am a parent and just the thought of some stranger hitting my daughter makes my blood boil.

But the aggressor got it bad anyhow: being charged with felony cruelty to children is punishment enough.

I still think the mother of the kid should be given a slap on the wrist for being so absent minded.

What is wrong with you people!? If anybody made that comment to me, they would have to deal with ME first. If they actually hit my 2 year old, they would need an AMBULANCE, not the police. And I think that you folks who are discussing how you agree with what this man did are severely mentally disturbed. We have NO idea why this child was crying. Where is your sense of humanity and sympathy?! No wonder society is so screwed up.

Your absolutely right outraged! Baby's cant speak or express their feelings in a way an adult can, they can only open their mouths and emit noise, ie cry. If some guy cam over and threatened my daughter, that would have gotten he police there. If he had tried something physical, he'd be dead.

Whats amazing to me about the commenters above is that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM was a baby and did the EXACT same thing when they were 0 to 2 ish. A crying baby is normal and is a natural part of a growing persons ability to express their emotions and/or discomfort. FFS some of you people dont even think.

Ditto Outraged....
Yes screaming kids in stores is annoying, but it's never crossed my mind to slap THE CHILD. Now, it has crossed my mind to smack the crap out of the parents who ignore it though. But that's just a fleeting reaction to the annoyance.
If that guy had said that crap to me, they would've had to have called an ambulance for him b/c his balls would have been shoved down his throat.

I don't care if he's 61 I would've beat his ass. Hitting a defenseless child there must be something wrong with the man.

Is it just me, or does that look like a Bizarro Andy Griffith?

What is it about Wal-Mart that makes people so impatient? I rarely go to Wal-mart (not for any moral reasons, just snobbery, I suppose) but when I do everyone seems to be on the verse of boiling over.

*coff coff douchebag coff coff*

Sorry Alex, needed to be said.

Let him touch one of my grands, this old fat man would leave a stain on the ground with him.

I don't get? He doesn't look like the type of person that would do such a thing.

Parents have a responsibility to take their kids out of the store if said kids are having a breakdown.

Every so often, a kid will breakdown. It happens. Mostly its temporary. If the kid doesn't stop, go to the car, settle down, come back if possible when the kid's manageable. I have two kids under the age of five, so it happens from time to time. Someone needs a nap, wants a toy, what have you.

It can be annoying, but it often passes. Parents should manage their kids, sure, but stable people ought to ignore it and just be glad it isn't their kids.

If this guy had so much as raised a hand, I would have broken his wrist with his own severed foot. My petite wife would have climbed his back and rammed her thumbs in his eyes before ripping out his heart and devouring it whole and warm.

You don't hit kids. Not your own and especially not a stranger's.

LisaL has it right. We've all been annoyed by crying/screaming kids and I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to castigate the parents for not disciplining their kids. I would never strike the child. Most parents now days just let their kids run amok and never discpline them. They're the ones at fault.

Oh my God! If someone even looked at my toddler wrong, I would have been all over them. BUT if he was stupid enough to touch my child, I'd be in jail right on murder charges. He looks like a grouchy hetful old coot. He better thank his God in Heaven it was that woman and not me!

For outraged and outraged seconded, consider how loud a 2-yr old can scream and cry. A baby cries expectedly and often, predictably and unpredictably. A 2-yr old on the other hand can scream and screech loudly and obnoxiously at the drop of a bugger. Of the course this man should not have slapped the baby, but that does not make stupid monsters of all who agree parents should have necessary control. Mother should have dropped everything and jolly jumped to quiet the child before the man's screw further tightened. That is that.

To all of you people that agree...what the heck is wrong with you?Crying children can be nerve racking,but honestly to all parents,do you expect us to beleive that you would leave the store with a basket full of groceries everytime your child crys.That is a damn lie and if ya'll think this ok maybe someone will smack the crap out of your kid.It's really sad that you people think that this is ok and he did what alot of people want to do.You all need therapy

anyone who would strike a child does not deserve to be in public, and that includes those who posted here that it is okay to do so.
for heaven sakes, a child is an innocent human who need protection all the time. AND if the child is annoying... then you, who are supposed to be the adult, LEAVE. Those who would or suggest the idea that a noisy child, no matter the reason, should be removed or hit, are the true childISH ppl.
I am ashamed for all of your who think children are to be not seen or heard.
If I were there I too would have pounded the crap out of this childISH old man, what a moron I hope they throw the book at him... after all "who the hell is he?"
GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZ

hrb, you leave the cart at the service desk and step out for a few moments. What's so hard about that? You might be embarrassed, but so what?

I'm not saying that you should do it the first moment your kid cries -- all kids cry at one time or another. But if the kid is throwing a serious tantrum with no end in sight, then you take them outside.

You should also know your own kid well enough to know when a breakdown is coming. If so, postpone your trip or buy them a freaking Popsicle or something.

Of course, other human beings should realize that some people don't have the luxury of time or babysitters.

Either way, I would have beaten the life out of anyone who slapped my kid.

What a coward. Of all the victims in the world to direct his anger on, he chose a baby girl. A BABY GIRL.

A shame to hear all the people who feel a flare of hatred toward crying babies and their moms. If I pass a screaming kid at Wal-Mart (which isn't a fancy restaurant or a classical concert by the way, it's a place children and their noise are expected) empathy for the mom usually outweighs the irritation.

I live in Waco, Texas (insert your own joke here), where a mother was arrested the other day for spanking her 6 yr old and dragging him across the floor of a local health clinic.

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/56642187.html

I'm glad my kids are grown.

FIRST OF ALL for all of you who think what this idiot did was OKAY you don't have children obviously or if you do then your kids should be removed from you there is nothing that makes what he did right or even remotely okay. And by the way at one point in time all of you were that same two year old screaming your head off because of any number of reasons. SO get over yourselves already. As far as this man he needs to be punted out in a parking lot and beat. YOU DON'T DO THAT TO ANYONE and picking on a child that can't fight back he is nothing but a coward had that been my child this man and any of body else who got remotely close to my child would be DEAD at this point in time!!!!

Explain to me how this is neat!? This blog sucks!

D'yer know - kids sometimes cry. Sometimes you can stop them - and sometimes you can't. Sometimes you don't want to stop them - they may have done something naughty and need a minute or two without a cuddle to start to learn that some sorts of behaviour isn't acceptable. This happens when it happens. Kids don't choose a "good" place to have a paddy or be upset, they just do it when the fancy takes them.

If you find annoying kids annoying, just try to remember that a) for every angelic kid there are plenty of little devils, b) this is not necessarily down to the parents - kids are all different and have their own furrow to plough and c) quite likely you were a vile little bugger sometimes, too.

Wow....if someone tried to do that to my son I'd rip him a new one.

I'm fairly lucky that my son (almost 20 months) is normally a very even-tempered and quiet child, but even he has his moments and will throw a tantrum. If I'm in an area with a lot of people, I'll try to get to a fairly secluded spot (or parking lot) and let him cry out his tantrum. Trying to hush him only makes it last longer. With most toddlers, if you *ignore* the tantrum they usually realize fairly quickly that they're not getting what they want and stop. After all, a tantrum is almost always just a tool that children use to get attention. Sometimes I'll just try to distract him and that usually works.

Wow.. so I am curious to all of you people who think a crying child should be "punished" and "disciplined".

If a child is throwing a fit over a toy, a snack, etc., you let them know it's not acceptable.

If a child is crying because they are teething, upset, tummy, etc.. do you beat them for communicating? Wow. I love how classy our world is.

Also, since many of you are blaming the mother in this incident, if you read the other articles, she took her child to ANOTHER aisle and this old CRETIN followed her and picked up her child and SLAPPED HER. WTF?

I had an old crotchety old bastard tell my daughter to shut up, she has brain damage and can not speak so her "talking" is squealish type noises. I looked at him and told him where the hell he needed to go. I am tired of these old fuckers who demand respect but scream at a disabled child for trying to SPEAK in the only way she knows HOW.

Also, when you go in to public, you have to deal with what is in the public: crying kids, assholes on cell phone, farting old people, bitchy people, ghetto people, white trash adn the like. If you don't like.. then don't go into PUBLIC

jnh,you hit the nail on the head.Good job!!!!!:)

f'in walmart

I wrote this really long comment, and just realized Skipweasel said everything I was thinking. So to the people who think that they'd be "good parents" and make sure their kids didn't cry or whatever. Have a kid or two, your tune's bound to change.

here's a thought. for everyone who thinks it's alright for him to slap the child because she was annoying, is it equally alright for the mother to shoot him? after all, i doubt she liked what he was doing so she should let her feelings go too. he's a 61-year old adult for god's sake. you don't just do whatever you feel like. no excuses.

Screw all you pansies who write about all the violent things you would do if someone had the nerve to touch your kid. You wouldn't do anything but call a lawyer, (if that) or take your little t.v. watching, sugar eating brat out and feed him some Big Mac and super sized cola to calm him down. If you gave a crap about your little tard, you wouldn't take them to a sh#t hole like that in the first place. Talk is cheap you fat f*cks.

I agree with BM
Screw you and your kid if you do not know how to be a part of society. I should not have to "ignore" your kid because you do not want to deal with it or get a babysitter while you do your shopping. If your kid acts up in public, do something about it like my parents did. When I acted up in public, my mom would take me out of the store and dealt with me and my issue. Ignoring a crying child in your house is fine and just, but not in public. No one would deal with me screaming in a store, why should I deal with your brat because you are a crappy parent? The guy was wrong to touch some one else's kid, he should have slapped the crappy parent.

oh and most of you would have cowered to that man...he looks tough as nails.

The mom and child live down the street from me. These people are fine folks and are good parents. The story does not tell you she was getting some medicine for the girl was not feeling well. This happened during about 2 PM on a workday, so the dad was at work.

For those who say you would beat this guy to a pulp, what would you do if you had a sick child, trying to get some cold meds for her and this 6ft2in angry man came up to you? And you are a 5-2 woman distracted by trying to get your sick daughter to calm down a bit? She was in shock - never expecting the man to make good on such a threat. BTW, two guys on line brought this man down quick and he gave them quite a struggle.

This guy is done. He will likely be prosecuted by a district attorney who is female and has kids. Genius just landed himself a felony conviction, supervised probation and probably jail. Nice going Bizarro Andy Griffith. Trout.

at some point in time, a plethora of wild and erratic thoughts have passed through everyone's minds.. the difference between a rational, functioning adult and.. well, someone who's a "little off", is acting on them!

clearly, there is something mentally unstable about this man..

not to exempt the mother in this situation, either.. she not only was neglecting a crying toddler (which, i'm not sure how you can), but also, left her defenseless daughter to be "manhandled" (no pun intended) by a stranger without intervention! what kind of "mother" is that?!

all this being said.. it was a Wal Mart, afterall- this event isn't terribly surprising.. i'm sure it's been seen on a daytime talk-shows (e.g. Jerry Springer)

In my own opinion: he acted on an impulse, regardless of the consequences of his actions and the right/wrong factors involved, and will get the results thereof. He made a choice, just like the woman chose not to A) quiet her child B) move away from him, maybe even get an attendant or security C) simply leave. He could have just left, too. It was definitely an unnecessary and unlikely event that could have been avoided, but it happened. Now, everyone is dealing with the aftermath.

Action > Reaction.

First of all, for anyone who is a child psychologist or knows anything about raising children, you are supposed to ignore a child having a temper tantrum. PERIOD! To do anything else just encourages them to continue or do it again.

Second of all, if the child was really sick of course she was crying and the mother had every right to bring her to a store and get medicine. If the child cried the whole time then she cried. Big deal. Put on your big boy pants and deal with it! If the child was not sick and they weren’t ready to check out yet, I agree that the parent should have tried to leave the store or go to a private area to help calm her down. I don't think anyone here knows how long this fit lasted. Maybe it was several minutes in which case, I don't think it was wrong of anyone around to POLITELY ask the mom to calm her child but in no way did he have a right to threaten the mother or child and certainly had no right to follow through!

Third: What did this idiot think would happen when you hit a crying child? I always get appalled when people think that hitting a child will make him quiet. Are you stupid or something? If someone hit you, you may not scream like a baby but I'll bet you don't shut up! IDIOTS!

And for screwyourkid and all the others who think this is justified in any way or that it would only happen at Wal*Mart or that it’s the mother and child who shouldn't be in society, GET A F**CKING LIFE! Children are part of society and so are you jackasses unfortunately. If you think this wouldn't have happened at any store in the world you are sorely mistaken. Children don’t just cry at a Wal*Mart. The only place they don’t cry is a store that won’t let them in to begin with. I’ve heard them cry anywhere from on the street to a 5 star restaurant so that comment is just plain ignorance.

My son is a teenager now and we both get extremely annoyed with screaming and crying children so I sympathize whole heartedly with anyone who has ever had to deal with a screaming child (parent or bystander) but this is ridiculous!

To screwyourkid, it's you who would would run in fear, you shit. B.M. be thankful I don't know who you really are. The rest of you fucks who think it's ok to hit a child, go and hit someone's child and see what happens. I bet you won't live to regret it. Most parents would kill to protect their kids. If you think most parents would be frightened to defend their kids against anyone who dares to even threaten to hit their child, go and try it yourself. You'll be a statistic real quick. Those who agree with the actions of this fuck are a bunch of fucking assholes. I once broke a guy's jaw and bashed his face in for threatening to a hit a child. I wouldnt' hesitate to do the same to you creeps for agreeing with the asshole who slapped this child. You're lucky I'm not around to hear you agree, I'd make you regret it. I know you're going to talk shit, I expect your bullshit. Regardless, I know for sure that you talk shit now, you won't if I took action and made you regret talking shit like that.

You guys are fucking idiots. "Oh i'd drop his ass if he touched my kid!" Shut up. No you wouldn't. I'm tired of this internet toughguy bull. You guys are not really going to hit a man who slaps a child lightly in the face. The girl had slight redness, not bruises. Read the police report. He's obviously not disturbed, he's from another time where hitting your kid a bit was acceptable- And it still should be, kids don't know how to act until they realize when they do something bad, they're punished.

So, everyone, shut up about beating this guy up, you wouldn't, and you probably couldn't. He's big, and age doesn't mean much when you're in shape. So to conclude, this man is a good guy, and nothing wrong with him.

Those of you who think that an angry parent couldn't stop this guy...get a clue. Have you ever heard of adrenaline??? It allows normal people to do extrodinary feats they would not normally be capable of so yes it is possible for anyone in this chat room who has use of their extremities to take this man down and i'll bet more than a few not only could have, but would have. I wish I could say what I'd do but I'd probably be more concerned with my child than him especially since the people around got him down and made him wait for the police. This may be a good guy who had a very bad day, that doesn't excuse what he did in any way, shape, or form! I'd love to know if this is just a violent a-hole or someone who had an especially bad day (maybe a death in the family, or foreclosure on his house) Still doesn't excuse his behavior or yours for thinking it is okay.

I'v raised children, and yes, they do act out, but it is the parents responsibility to leave ANY public place till the child calms down. She could have left her cart by the door, or asked someone who works there to watch it for awhile just as you do when you have to use the bathroom. This man broke the law and was wrong to do what he did, but parents seem to think everyone should tolerate screaming from children. No one can reason with a 2 yr old, so the proper thing to do is leave for a few min. till the child calms down.

It is unfortunate the exorbitant number of misguided views on parenting in addition to the naive belief that a bigger, stronger person is guaranteed to emerge victorious in battle simply because of size. This is not necessarily an accurate analysis of a realistic situation.

Have any of you ever seen a small cat cornered by a big dog? A cat determined to survive will fight for it's life. If protecting it's offspring is a part of that equation, the viciousness of it's attack will increase tenfold. A person is no different. America's Most Wanted and the news have reported on seemingly defenseless elderly people who fought back against a young thug attempting to bully and rob them. There is a lot of ignorance shown in this column.

It's serious and often fatal mistake to underestmate a person simply because of their size, or determination to survive. It is clear to me that those who believe this have never been in a real fight for survival. I have seen a small skinny woman attack a big guy who wanted to have his way with her by force and he lost an eye for his trouble and suffered injuries to his face and groin. To this day, he doesn't take such a woman or man smaller than him lightly.

He learned his lesson. He had to check himself in the emergency room. This woman clearly had a determination to survive and fighting back was her powerful impulse. If a child were involved, I doubt he'd be walking.

In truth, not everyone who fights back survives, but when someone goes down fighting, it's not a fight the other person wants ever to repeat with someone else who has that kind of fighting instinct to survive. Therefore, the next person may make the difference and accomplish what the previous person did not.

It is always a matter of time. Never underestimate a person's size. A bully will always focus his attention on someone who doesn't fight, not someone who is determined to fight whether he/she loses or not.

The woman in this case apparently didn't have that determination to survive and protect her child. Thaht makes all the difference, it's not about size. Remember, "It's not the size of the person in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the person."

Im pretty sure all the idiots on here justifying what that man did dont have any kids. If that was your kid Im sure your opinion would be way different. It is one thing you do not do and that's mess with someone else's child. You guys need a reality check about how foolish you sound right now. I dont care how loud that child was crying you dont go out your way a hit someone else child...is that okay really, be forreal. Kids are going to cry ESPECIALLY 2YRS OLDS!! I WISH A MOTHERF***ER WOULD?

1. He shouldn't have hit the kid.
2. Parents need to respect public places. If your kid can't be in public without screaming or whatever, then you need to teach them manners or stay home.
3. I frikkin hate going to a movie and hearing some kid screaming it's head off and the parents acting like they don't care. There should be a law or theatre policy - people with screaming kids will be asked to leave.

awesome.

Ahh.. the fine people of Walmart.

Violence is violence. Why is it o.k. to "shove his balls down his throat", "break his wrist with his own severed foot", "ram your thumbs in his eyes" and "murder" the man?

yes the guy was totally out of line for hitting a child, and should be dealt with, but i can totally sympathise with his feelings. i've been in public wher there was a screaming out of control child and parents NEED to take charge, they're not doing the child any favors by letting them get away with that behavior. even at 2 yrs old a child can learn when to keep quiet, give them some credit, kids at 2 are very trainable. this same thing happened to me, kids throw a fit in the store, next thing you know they're standing at the checkout with a pile of toys and candy in order to appease them. all i ever had to say to my girls is "do you wanna go to the bathroom for a spank?" and i only had to spank their bum once or twice and they understood that when you're in a public place, you better be on your best behaviour, do your children a favor and discipline to the proper degree to raise healthy respectful adults.

I'm in melbourne australia and this was in the news only a few months ago in a shopping centre here. The same assult, the same words and most probably the same miserable old bastard The only difference is a different country. Somethings dodgie here.

How rash of you people who think that child deserved what she got, or that at all you should smack a child for crying. You once the screaming child that people blocked their ears over, all kids do this.

Although I am not fond of kids for I find them little devils, they are still kids, they are practically defenseless against everything, and it is the job of PEOPLE/Adults to keep them safe and unharmed, second this child was smacked, she was harmed.

I don't care if the child is breaking your ears, she is a child and it is NORMAL for a child to cry. Now to those who have said "A 2 year-old can learn" Well you know what? Not all. Not everyone is normal, it is very well known. Everyone is different. Certain babies learn to talk at certain ages, just like they say certain first-words. Not all would know how to be 'respectful' in public places, some children are just different, some take time and some don't.

This "man", had NO right to hit this child. Even if his ears broke, he still had no right. He could have complained, but no, he smacks her? Really? Not to mention the child not being his! Don't touch what is not yours.

Yes, violence is violence, but justice wouldn't be one for me unless I saw that "man" in jail or I beat him myself if he ever, ever hit my child. I have none, but if I ever did (yes, the IF word) he would never get the tale pass jail or never even live to tell it if they decided not to take that "man" to jail. I'm curious as to what the father or mother did, or what both of them did, whoever was in company of the child...

As for a few other comments, I agree with one of them very much. If you hit a screaming child, don't you think the child will scream more? It sure as heck would hurt the child she/he would not quiet down, it would hurt and so the child would cry out and scream more than before.

Seeing the other comments, the ones that think the child deserved what she got, I must say I am very disappointed that people could ever think like that.

All I'm going to say is that The toddler dumb ass dad must not be black.