AUSTIN, Texas – A man is facing third degree felony charges for injury to a child after he allegedly punched a 3-year-old in the face in Southeast Austin.

Qvontay McKnight, 23, is accused of punching a child in the parking lot of the Catholic Church Dolores near the 1211 block of Montopolis Drive.

According to the affidavit, a grandmother and her granddaughter were heading home on Dec. 4, 2017 when they were approached by a man running full speed towards them. The woman told police, he had his hand in a fist and his armed raised to strike them.

The woman tried to move the victim out of the way, but the man was already striking the child in the head. As the victim began to cry, the woman screamed and the suspect took off.

The child suffered two bumps on the forehead with obvious swelling. A Dell Children’s Medical Center examination revealed she had a scalp hematoma.

Both the child and the woman gave police a description of the suspect who they found at a Shell Gas Station on Dec. 12 on the same block where the assault occurred. The suspect was identified as McKnight.

On Jan. 3, McKnight was arrested and is being held on a $85,000 bond at the Travis County Jail.