Man punches teen son in face

A 41-year-old Missouri man has been charged with child abuse after allegedly assaulting his teenage son so severely that the boy suffered a seizure, reportedly over a phone call the man deemed disrespectful.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Matthew Proctor is accused of punching his son multiple times in the face and continuing the assault after the teen fell to the ground.

The heavily redacted affidavit outlines that the incident took place at the home of one of the mothers of Proctor’s children last Tuesday, as the children were preparing for a planned trip to the Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City.

Proctor reportedly became enraged after calling the home that morning and feeling disrespected during the call. He allegedly threatened to come over, saying he would “beat someone’s a**” upon arrival. All of the children involved are under 18, and one later told deputies that Proctor had previously “punched the air out of his lungs.”

When Proctor arrived at the house, the teenage boy came outside and reportedly shouted at him. In response, Proctor allegedly struck the boy in the face, causing him to fall and begin convulsing.

Despite this, Proctor allegedly continued to hit him. Proctor’s oldest daughter then intervened and struck her father in the mouth to stop the assault.

Proctor fled the scene with his youngest son but was arrested approximately 30 minutes later. During questioning, he claimed he was the one assaulted first, saying the teen had punched him twice before he retaliated.

He also said the children were being disrespectful and their mother was preventing him from taking them.

However, a neighbor’s doorbell camera captured the altercation and supported the children’s account. The footage reportedly shows that the teen never hit Proctor, while his daughter did punch him after he assaulted the boy.

The injured teen was taken to a children’s hospital, where medical personnel documented a red mark and swelling on the left side of his face, injuries on both sides of his face and jaw, and a concussion.