WACO, Texas — A 29‑year‑old U.S. Army sergeant has been arrested after a Ring doorbell camera captured him violently striking a 3‑year‑old boy outside an apartment complex here, according to police and court records. Paul Thames is now charged with injury to a child and is being held in the McLennan County Jail under a federal detainer.
The video that sparked outrage shows Thames picking up the small child by the neck and punching him on the back repeatedly late last Friday afternoon. Neighbors at the Legend Apartments on Corporation Parkway alerted authorities after the footage, which was widely shared on social media, began circulating online.
Police later interviewed Thames, who told them the boy did not want to practice his ABCs — and that was the reason he took the child outside to discipline him. That claim is detailed in the arrest warrant obtained by local media.
The child’s mother was inside the apartment working when Thames took her son out of the unit, officials said. She was reportedly unaware of what had happened until the video went viral online.
During the assault captured on camera, the boy can be heard crying out in pain as Thames repeatedly struck him and at one point put his hands over the boy’s mouth. At one point he is heard asking, “Are you going to stop playing?” according to the warrant.
After the incident, Thames admitted to police that he had “gone overboard” and that his actions were wrong. He apologized to the young boy, the documents show.
The child was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, treated for neck pain, and released. Meanwhile, the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood confirmed that Thames is a sergeant stationed there, and released a statement saying they are aware of the arrest and “disgusted” by the video, adding that his actions do not reflect the values of the U.S. Army.
Thames remains in custody as the case moves forward, with authorities continuing to investigate the circumstances that led up to the shocking attack.
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