Prosecutors say a Waukegan mother punched her 7-year-old son in the face, causing him to bounce off a wall and fall to the ground in Waukegan.
Aniaha A. Bennett, 25, of the 200 block of Julian Street in Waukegan, was charged with four counts of domestic battery.
An arrest warrant was issued for her on May 4 and she was arrested on Tuesday, court records show.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Caitlin Valiulis said during a bond hearing Wednesday that the victim in the case is Bennett’s son, who was around 7 years old at the time of the incident.
Police had been called on February 9 after a witness saw Bennett punching her son in the face with a closed fist, Valiulis said and court records showed.
Waukegan officers spoke with the witness, who said she observed Bennett initially grab the child and punch him.
Bennett, who was on the phone with someone, told the person, “I f—ing hate my kid,” the witness told police.
The witness tried to intervene but Bennett told the woman to “mind her own business,” Valiulis said.
Surveillance video obtained by police showed Bennett swing at the child, who bounced off a wall and fell to the ground.
The child stood up and was seen holding his cheek before backing away from his mother, Valiulis said.
Bennett then allegedly grabbed the child by his arm and started dragging and pushing him, the surveillance video reportedly showed.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak ordered Bennett held on a $35,000 bond.
Potkonjak also ordered the woman to have no contact with her son as a condition of bond.
Bennett remains held in the Lake County Jail and would need to post $3,500 to be released.
An arraignment hearing is scheduled for July 6.