Man punched 15-year-old who was having a seizure, police say

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) - A man in Missouri is behind bars after police said he punched a teen who was seizing.

Jackson County, Missouri, Circuit Court records filed July 30 indicate 41-year-old Matthew A. Proctor was charged with child abuse after allegedly punching the teen.

The Kansas City Police Department said officers were called to a nearby home for reports of a disturbance around 11 a.m. on July 29.

When they arrived, first responders said they found a 15-year-old boy being walked to an ambulance.

The homeowner said they had been getting ready to go to a local theme park when Proctor showed up at her door.

The woman told officials that Proctor claimed someone had been disrespectful on the phone and wanted the children to come with him. The children eventually came outside.

Witnesses said the 15-year-old teen and Proctor began to yell before Proctor punched the teen in the face multiple times. They said the teen then fell to the ground and began to seize before Proctor allegedly hit him several more times.

Investigators said Proctor left the scene before they arrived.

The teen was taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital and diagnosed with a concussion. The teen was also unable to recall the incident.

Kansas City Police said Proctor was found outside his home and arrested around 11:35 a.m. He told officials the teen had hit him first and he only hit the child once in self-defense.

Investigators, however, said the victim’s injuries and the multiple witness statements contradicted Proctor’s claim.

Authorities also said a neighbor’s Ring camera had caught the incident on video and corroborated the witness statements, not Proctor’s. In the video, the teen is never seen raising a hand to Proctor.

Law enforcement officials noted that further interviews revealed Proctor may have been violent with the teen in the past.

As a result, court records noted that Proctor was charged with a single count of abuse of a child, a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison according to state law.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Proctor on Aug. 27.

No further information has been released.