Woman who punched 5-month-old baby in the face says she thought he was a doll

A mother is outraged after a woman came up and punched her baby in the face at a restaurant on Folly Beach, in Charleston County, South Carolina, on Saturday. "It was a random act of stupidity," Amber Fortson of Little River said. Barbra Green, 59, of Riverland Drive told arresting officers she thought the 5-month-old boy was a doll and she was joking, according to the incident report. She was charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and disorderly conduct and released from the Charleston County jail on $25,262 bail.

The Fortsons drove to Folly Beach so their son could participate in a modelling tryout at the Tides Hotel. "I just want him to develop confidence," his mother said. She hopes being punched in the face by a stranger doesn't undermine that goal. Her doctor told her children that young usually forget about such traumatic events. The baby's mother asked that his name not be published to avoid future embarrassment.
The Fortsons were walking around Folly Beach when they heard live music at Snapper Jacks and went inside for supper. "We were surrounded by great people, having a great time," Mrs. Fortson said. "People around us were showing us pictures of their babies." The boy was standing on his father's lap "laughing, smiling and dancing to the music" when a woman they had never seen before walked up, hit him in the face and walked toward the door, his mother said.
"I said, 'There's no way this woman just walked up and punched my child,'" Mrs. Fortson said. "I was just in shock. I didn't know if that was the beginning of a child abduction or what." The boy's father followed the woman to the door but could not get her to talk. The restaurant staff stopped Green from leaving and called police to arrest her. An officer noted that the child's nose was red. "He's been real tired, a little fussy, rubbing his face a little bit," Mrs. Fortson said. "I just want this lady to feel some sort of remorse. She never even apologized."