Mother livestreams herself slapping her sobbing young son across the face while he's strapped into a car seat
A troubling video has emerged on Facebook Live this week, depicting a North Carolina mother apparently slapping her young son, who is seen sobbing while strapped into a car seat.
Officials with the Person County Department of Social Services said the agency was flooded with phone calls from concerned citizens who watched the livestream in the early hours of Monday morning.
The 18-second clip opens with the toddler boy biting on his fist in the back of a car.
A shocking video emerged on Facebook Live on Monday, showing a North Carolina mother apparently slapping her young son in the face. The child bursts into tears while strapped into her car seat
The mother, Ariel Lunsford, was arrested on Monday on outstanding warrants related to probation violation and failure to appear charges
A woman's hand first hits the child's arm, them slaps him in the face, causing the boy to burst into tears, cover his face with his hands and slump to the side.
'I ain't done, come back,' the woman tells the wailing boy, before swatting at him a few more times.
Roxboro, North Carolina, community activist Jermaine Wallace watched the video of the abuse and called child services
In another chilling video shared on Facebook, the same woman is heard telling her son: 'I really hate I gotta keep doing you like this 'cause your face gets red, but your daddy don't care. I'm about to hit you again, and again, and again.'
One of the people who watched the video on Facebook Live and raised the alarm was community activist and married father-of-five Jermaine Wallace, who said that he recognized the woman in the video as Ariel Lunsford, a mother-of-three from Roxboro, as WRAL-TV first reported.
'As a parent the situation that played out on social media was very disturbing and heartbreaking. Watching a baby scream in pain at the hands of his mother,' Wallace wrote in a status update.
Responding to comments from people who criticized his decision to go to the authorities about Lunsford's conduct, Wallace stated in a follow-up post: 'Let’s make this clear for the people in the back. I did NOT ask to be awakened at 1:30am in the morning on Monday, nor did I ask for the video to be sent to me.
Lunsford's criminal record includes past charges of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and possession of paraphernalia. Her three sons are now in the care of family
'As a parent and community leader it was my duty to act fast based off the nature and severity of the video.'
Person County Sheriff Dewey Jones said the mother was arrested in Durham on Monday on outstanding warrants stemming from unrelated probation violation and failure to appear charges.
According to the agency, Lunsford's criminal record includes charges of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury; possession of paraphernalia; second-degree trespass; false report to law enforcement and no operators license.
A spokesperson for the sheriff's office confirmed to DailyMail.com that Lunsford was in the Person County jail as of Wednesday. Her bond was set at $276,800.
The Durham Police Department is conducting a separate investigation into allegations of child abuse.
According to Wallace, Lunsford's three young sons are now safe in the care of family members.
