A man is accused of inducing a seizure in a teenager by punching him in the face several times before continuing to hit the minor “into the ground” while he suffered.
Matthew Proctor, 41, was charged with child abuse following the incident. He was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Detention Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
The attack reportedly occurred just before 11 a.m. on Tuesday, when Proctor arrived at a house where his children were because “someone had answered the phone disrespectfully,” according to a probable cause statement by police. The homeowner informed officers from the Kansas City Police Department that Proctor “asked for his kids,” and his son “heard the commotion, came outside, and yelled at Matthew.”
That is when the violence is alleged to have occurred. While the probable cause statement conceals the identity of the person who was struck, it appears that the same 15-year-old boy identified as Proctor’s son exited the house and confronted his father.
Proctor “hit” the minor “in the face with a closed fist about three times” and “fell to the ground,” according to police. After that, the kid “began to have a seizure and Matthew hit him two more times in the face.”
The court document states that several people under the age of 18 were present, and their accounts “were consistent” with the homeowner’s. They also added important details to help authorities build their case.
The family reportedly planned to visit Worlds of Fun, a theme park in Kansas City, that day. However, “a phone conversation between Matthew and a child” that he shared with a witness “became heated, prompting his visit,” the witness told police. Proctor was said to have been “trippin” as he prepared to pick up two of his children at the residence in question. According to the court document, one person became “mute” when they heard Proctor was coming.
Prior to his arrival, Proctor allegedly threatened violence, claiming that he would “beat” someone’s “a-” when he arrived. One person at the house, believed to be the minor who was hit or his younger brother, “became concerned” because Proctor had previously “punched the air out of his lungs.”
The suspect arrived, and a fight ensued, with one person screaming “bloody murder.” Proctor’s eldest daughter “hit him in the back,” and soon after, he grabbed his youngest son and drove away.
By the time police arrived, the 15-year-old boy was being led to an ambulance. According to the heavily redacted probable cause statement form, he “was observed to have a red mark and swelling on the left side of his face” as well as “injuries on both sides of his face, his jaw, and a concussion,” and he was taken to a nearby children’s hospital.
Proctor fled, but was apprehended about 35 minutes later at another residence, according to authorities. When they spoke with him, he had “minor redness on his lower lip” and claimed to have been hit first.
The suspect claimed that he was hit “in his mouth two times” and “responded by swinging his fist sideways and hitting” the alleged victim “in the side of his head one time” before Proctor’s eldest daughter hit her father in the back and he fled.
When informed of the minor’s injuries, Proctor “said he didn’t know how” that was possible, claiming he “only hit him one time.” According to police, he later suggested that the injury may have been caused by the fall to the ground.
According to reports, a neighbor’s Ring doorbell camera captured the fight. Proctor was made aware of this, and when asked if it supported his version of events, he allegedly replied, “How do I know?”
According to the video, a man who matched Proctor’s description and attire approached someone on the porch steps before the minor exited the house. “Matthew then strikes [the alleged victim] twice in the right side of his head/face,” the police told me.
A kid “falls to the ground and Matthew strikes him one more time while he’s down,” as an accomplice “confronts Matthew.” The suspect fled the scene, and police emphasized the following point: “The male presumed to be [the alleged victim] never appeared to hit Matthew.”
Proctor faces charges, and police say he “poses a threat to the victim.” He is being held under a $75,000 bond. His next court date is August 6.
