Warning: This video contains graphic content that may disturb some viewers.
A Florida man was arrested for attacking an 11-year-old child, believing she had been throwing eggs at his apartment for the past week, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.
Just after noon on Saturday, deputies responded to the Allison Park Place apartment complex after receiving reports of the assault.
Marius Mutu, 43, was caught on video pinning the young girl down as she screamed out, begging for someone to help her. Deputies said Mutu chased the girl and forced her to the ground.
The blood-curdling scream from the child alerted a resident in the Hillsborough County apartment, who could be heard telling another individual to call 911.
“Please, I wasn’t doing anything,” the child screamed out as the man restrained her to the ground. “I swear on my life. Help me.”
Mutu responds to her, but it is unclear what he says. The girl cries out again that she wasn’t doing anything, as Mutu tries grabbing her arms and pinning them down.
Before the video concludes, another man intervenes, demanding Mutu to get off the child.
Neighbors reacted to the video, saying it’s hard to watch.
“As a mom, it makes me sick to my stomach,” said Hannah Noel, a resident. “For a grown man to do something to a vulnerable person is ridiculous.”
Mutu spoke with officials, saying someone had been throwing eggs at his apartment for the past week. When it happened again that day, Mutu assumed the nearby child was responsible. He also claimed he was trying to take a photo of the child to report the incident to the apartment’s management, according to the sheriff’s office.
“The long-term trauma, and the parents and anybody else who witnessed it, like there’s kids all up and down these streets every night,” Noel said. “I just think of like, ‘What if it was my kid or our kid?’ Like it could be anybody.”
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister called the man’s behavior “not only unacceptable,” but “reprehensible.”
“This child endured a terrifying and traumatic experience at the hands of someone who chose to take matters into his own hands,” Chronister said. “We remain committed to protecting our children and ensuring those who harm them are held fully accountable.”
Mutu was arrested on charges of battery and false imprisonment.
