Footage of the altercation has left many wondering how the man kept his cool for so long.
Footage of the altercation has left many wondering how the man kept his cool for so long.
A man has come under fire for violently pushing a 10-year-old boy to the ground at a park.
The boy, who had been egging the man on for some minutes, is seen holding his face and screaming after the shove, claiming it was child abuse.
The viral video has divided social media because the full version, taken by a witness at a park in the United States, shows the boy won't give up in his attempts to get the man to react.
Some said the man was justified in his actions and surprised he lasted so long, but others said children should never be hit no matter the circumstances.
In a backstory also shared online, it is claimed the child and a friend had been terrorising other kids at the park, at a splash pad and in the playground for several hours.
The man endured a lot of torment from the boy before lashing out.
The man filming the video was reportedly driving down the street when the two kids cut him off so he wound down the window and told them off.
It's then that the trouble started, when it's claimed the children were throwing rocks at his car and others, trying to scratch them, and were swearing at the man and his wife.
"The man went to the concession stand [in the park] and found the guy who is the park manager and asked him for help," said the background statement shared online.
"The park manager told the kids to leave and they started swearing … then left for a minute down the path, threw down their bikes, and came back for more."
In the video the park manager tries to call someone for help and repeatedly asks the child to stop touching him or get out of the way.
Finally the man has enough and pushes the boy away at the throat with enough force for him to fall on the ground.
The boy cries loudly and draws even more attention from onlookers.
But several witnesses who saw the whole altercation play out say otherwise, and tried to approach the boy to reason with him.
At the very end of the video the boys gets up and starts swearing and screaming at everyone.
"F*** you, you wh**re," he says at one woman.
"We don't know how he managed to stay calm for as long as he did, this kid is out of control," said one post.
Another woman commented: "Society (us) allows this. No repercussion for his actions. Children have too many rights, it's time we took them back. This is why we have so many school shootings. Great job America, great job. You notice again the kid is walking away with no punishment whatsoever."
The background post stated police watched the video and asked the man if he wanted to press charges but he didn't.
The mother reportedly arrived and everyone apologised and sorted it out until a few hours later when the mother posted a short clip to Facebook only of the man pushing her boy only, with his details including name and address.
It's claimed the man was told to post the full video to clear his name and get the true story out.
