News

Man Violently Punches Young Girl Directly in the Face & Some People Actually Think He's Justified

NewsPublished Jan 15, 2019
By Ashley Austrew
police carkali9/iStock.com

A North Carolina man was arrested on Saturday after a horrifying video circulated on social media that showed him pushing a young girl down and punching her in the face in front of an Asheville shopping mall.

Warning: This post contains a video with disturbing content.

The horrifying video was shared by several people on social media and quickly went viral.

In the video, a man identified as David Steven Bell, can be seen angrily storming into a crowd of young kids after someone shoved his back. As they argue, he violently shoves one girl backwards and then punches her directly in the face when she tries to defend herself. The name and exact age of the girl have not been released, because she's a minor, but according to WLOS, she is younger than 12 years old and Bell is 51 years old.

An off-duty officer arrested Bell and he was later charged with one count of assault on a female under 12 and two counts of assault on a female.-placeholder
An off-duty officer arrested Bell and he was later charged with one count of assault on a female under 12 and two counts of assault on a female.
Asheville Police Department

An off-duty officer arrested Bell and he was later charged with one count of assault on a female under 12 and two counts of assault on a female.

Jail records obtained by the Daily Mail state that Bell is 6'5" and weighs 250 pounds. It's unclear why he got involved in an altercation with the kids in the first place, but regardless of the reason, the video of the incident has left people shocked and horrified.

But not everyone saw it as that bad. Instead, some people blamed the victim for what happened.-placeholder
But not everyone saw it as that bad. Instead, some people blamed the victim for what happened.
TJWells77/Twitter

But not everyone saw it as that bad. Instead, some people blamed the victim for what happened.

They claimed the girls were "surrounding" the man in the video and he was trying to defend himself.-placeholder
They claimed the girls were "surrounding" the man in the video and he was trying to defend himself.
Honzou/Twitter

They claimed the girls were "surrounding" the man in the video and he was trying to defend himself.

Some theorized that the woman and toddler standing to the left in the video may have been his wife and child and he was trying to protect them. "She got what she was asking for," one person wrote on Twitter. "The man is clearly shielding his wife and child in the video. Look closely. Now let's just be honest now. With all those ppl ganging up on him, you really think that at least 1 of them did not have a weapon? Wat would u do to protect ur family [sic]?"

The identities of the woman and child in the video have not been confirmed.

But others pointed out that, no matter what happened, a child was hit by a grown man, and there is no excuse for that kind of violent behavior.-placeholder
But others pointed out that, no matter what happened, a child was hit by a grown man, and there is no excuse for that kind of violent behavior.
stansteez/Twitter

But others pointed out that, no matter what happened, a child was hit by a grown man, and there is no excuse for that kind of violent behavior.

Police are still trying to determine what happened in the moments leading up to the incident.-placeholder
Police are still trying to determine what happened in the moments leading up to the incident.
AshevilleMall/Twitter

Police are still trying to determine what happened in the moments leading up to the incident.

There has not been a public statement about the girl's injuries or condition, but according the Daily Mail, she declined medical treatment at the scene.

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