Juan Guvarra Martinez, 62, (pictured in a mugshot taken after the incident) was arrested after allegedly spanking the boy three times in the store in Newnan, Georgia, on Tuesday
A drunk man was arrested in a Georgia grocery store on Tuesday after allegedly spanking a stranger’s toddler son when he heard him whining that he was not allowed a candy bar.
Juan Guvarra Martinez, 62, was standing behind James ‘Logan’ Morris in line at a Kroger in Newnan, near Atlanta, on Tuesday.
He overheard Morris’s son ask for a candy bar and watched as he began to cry after being told no.
The man is then said to have grabbed the boy by the arm and hit him around the wrist before twisting him round to spank his bottom three times.
According to boy’s father, he told him: ‘This is what we do to kids in Mexico.’
Morris, a plumber, was calm and took his son back, saying: ‘Buddy, we are not in Mexico.’
He paid for his goods and sent his son and the rest his family outside then waited as police arrived to question the man.
Video of them arresting Martinez, who was dressed in construction worker’s clothes, was obtained by The Newnan Times Herald.
It shows him standing by the cash register, confused as he is put in handcuffs.
According to the officers, he reeked of alcohol and seemed drunk.
Morris said the man hit his son three times on the backside. The child stopped crying and was in shock, he said.
James ‘Logan’ Morris was in front of Martinez in the line at the cash desk with his two-year-old son (Above together)
The spanking was not caught on camera but Morris said Martinez grabbed the boy by the arm first then twisted him round to get a clear hit on his bottom. The 62-year-old, who was wearing a hard hat, was arrested later. He is pictured moments before being put in handcuffs
Morris, seen left with his son and partner, said the toddler was shocked but not injured. Martinez was incredulous as he was arrested. Police said he reeked of alcohol
Martinez allegedly resisted arrest and kicked cars on his way through the parking lot. He is facing a range of charges including child cruelty and battery
‘He really just seemed astonished that this guy decided to spank him.
‘He just looked at me and seemed confused by the whole thing,’ he said.
After allegedly trying to resist arrest, Martinez is said to have kicked cars and been aggressive as he as taken to the patrol car.
He has is being held on charges including battery, child cruelty, disorderly conduct, obstructing officers and violating probation.
The man remains in county jail on a $3,390 bond.
The store has banned him from coming back.
Morris was deemed a hero by friends who questioned how he remained so calm in the heat of the moment.
The incident happened at this Kroger in Newnan, Georgia, on Tuesday