A Tampa man was detained last week on suspicion of tackling an 11-year-old girl who he said was tossing eggs at his home, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
“This type of behavior is not only unacceptable, it’s reprehensible,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a post on X this week. “This child endured a terrifying and traumatic experience at the hands of someone who chose to take matters into his own hands.”
Marius Mutu, 43, is seen in video recorded by a witness and released by authorities Monday pinning down the unidentified youngster, who screams for help and insists she has done nothing wrong, according to the sheriff’s office.
“I wasn’t doing anything, I swear to God!” the girl is heard screaming in the video as she tries to squirm away. “Help me! Help me!”
The man, identified by officials as Mutu, is seen pulling the girl’s arms and forcing them to her sides while neighbours react to the disturbance and approach him.
“Get off of her!” a woman shouts at the man in the video. “Get your hands off of her!” another person shouts before he sprints into the frame.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived on the site about 12:05 p.m. The sheriff’s office said Mutu told them on Saturday that someone had been egging his flat for the past week.
“When it happened again that day, he assumed the girl walking nearby was responsible, chased her, forced her to the ground, and restrained her until adults intervened,” the sheriff’s office said.
The suspect informed investigators that he was attempting to photograph the child in order to report the event to flat management, according to officials.
It is unclear whether the girl who was pinned to the ground had any role in the alleged egging of Mutu’s residence.
At the time of the event, “there were no eyewitnesses, video footage, or physical evidence indicating that the victim was involved in any of the egging incidents,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Carolina Montelongo said.
Mutu was arrested on the scene and charged with violence and false imprisonment, according to the sheriff’s office. According to county records, Mutu was released on bond. His lawyer, Brett Metcalf, declined to comment “on the pending litigation” at this time.
Mutu was most recently hired by the city of Tampa, but has since been suspended, according to Joshua Cascio, a spokesperson for the city’s infrastructure and mobility department.
Cascio told CNN that Mutu began working as a parking enforcement specialist last week. “He is currently suspended while the situation is under review.”