Monroe woman arrested for pushing 8-year-old son into store's glass door, breaking it

MONROE, Mich (FOX 2) - A 32-year-old woman was arrested for child abuse and property damage inside a Monroe grocery store on Jan. 7.

Police say the woman shoved her 8-year-old son into a glass door, breaking it at Town Square Foods in the 1000 block of E. Third Street.

According to dispatch, a female subject had broken the business's front door. An in-store surveillance video captured the following events, although the suspect had left before the police arrived. However, she and her children were later found at a nearby business.

Police say that at about 4:20 p.m., the woman was in the store shopping with multiple children when she grabbed her 8-year-old son by the head and neck and pushed him onto a countertop. She held him there with his feet off the ground, according to witnesses.

"At that point, she lets loose and pushes him away from her," said the Monroe police report. "The female tried grabbing his face again, but he turned away.

"Moments later, the female can be observed pushing her son’s entire body into a glass door, causing the glass to break."

Police identified the woman as a transient from the area. The woman cooperated with the investigation but blamed her actions on her son's behavior.

Child Protective Services was contacted and responded, taking the 8-year-old boy and the other five children into protective custody. Officers are working closely with CPS to locate family members to whom the children can be turned over.

The female suspect was arrested for child abuse and cruelty towards a child. She was lodged at the Monroe County Jail without incident, and this case is being forwarded to the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office for the listed charges.

"We want to thank the witnesses who called for police assistance and Child Protective Services for their help on the scene," Monroe police said in a statement. "CPS will continue its investigation into this matter."