Inset: Jerry Stark (Shelby County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Footage posted on Facebook allegedly shows Tennessee dad Jerry Stark inside a Memphis chicken wing restaurant after attacking his infant son (Facebook/Mitch Boss).
A Tennessee man has been arrested after reportedly biting his infant son’s cheek during a public disturbance at a Memphis chicken wing restaurant. Witnesses described the unsettling scene, noting they saw “the baby’s skin on his lips.”
One witness, who shared the incident on Facebook, expressed deep concern and distress, stating, “Seeing that baby’s face really broke my heart.” The video of the police response, which has garnered over 1 million views, further captured the witness’s emotional turmoil. “I can’t even sleep thinking about that baby,” the post continued. “The devil is busy.”
Authorities and bystanders reported that officers were dispatched around 1 a.m. to the Memphis Wings restaurant at 2661 North Hollywood Street. The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Jerry Stark, allegedly assaulted his own child inside the establishment.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by local CBS station WREG, officers found Stark “screaming and panicking” upon arrival. Prior to entering the restaurant, he was reportedly seen at nearby Shell and Marathon gas stations, holding the child and pleading for assistance.
Stark is said to have rushed into Memphis Wings with the infant, where he allegedly held the child so tightly that the baby began to turn blue. Quick-thinking customers and staff intervened to safely remove the child from Stark’s grasp, but not before Stark allegedly bit the child’s cheek.
Footage shared on Facebook shows individuals outside the restaurant, barring the door to prevent Stark from escaping. A voice in the video can be heard exclaiming, “The baby’s skin is on his lips and cheek!”
Paramedics rushed the young victim to a local hospital, where he was treated for a noncritical facial injury. The affidavit says the child’s mother told investigators that Stark had pushed her out of a moving vehicle earlier and drove off with their son, WREG reports.
After entering the wing restaurant, Stark allegedly claimed his family was trying to kill him, and he needed help getting away from them. He was taken into custody and booked into the Shelby County Jail on a charge of domestic assault causing bodily harm.
Stark is scheduled to appear in court on Monday morning.
