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Ga. man charged with beating female reservist

ATLANTA — A man is facing a battery charge after authorities say he punched and kicked a female Army reservist while yelling racial slurs outside a restaurant in suburban Atlanta.

Police say Troy D. West, 47, of Poulan became enraged after Tashawnea Hill told him to “be careful” when he nearly hit her 7-year-old daughter while opening the door at a Cracker Barrel in Morrow. Police say West, who is white, beat Hill and forced her down on the ground, where he kicked her in the head as the little girl watched.

Hill, who is black, said she told West that she is “in the military, I don’t want any problems,” according to the police report. She had moderate injuries and was taken to the hospital.

West was charged with battery, disorderly conduct and cruelty to children for the Sept. 9 incident. A hearing has been set for Sept. 24.

West could not immediately be reached for comment. His mother, in a brief phone interview, said her son would never hurt a mother.

“This just doesn’t sound right,” West’s mother said from her Poulan home. “He’s married and has three children, a son-in-law and a grandson.”

West told police he became upset because Hill spit on him after accusing him of trying to hit her daughter, according to the police report. But several witnesses said they never saw the 35-year-old Army reservist spit on West.

The entire incident was caught on the restaurant’s video surveillance system, but Cracker Barrel officials and police declined to release the video Tuesday because it’s part of an ongoing investigation.

Morrow police spokesman Capt. James Callaway said the case has been turned over to the Clayton County district attorney and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI officials did not immediately return a call for comment.

Clayton County District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson said her office is reviewing the case.

Neither Hill nor her attorney returned calls for comment.

Cracker Barrel spokeswoman Julie Davis said the Tennessee-based company is cooperating with authorities and has sent a gift basket to Hill and her family.

“It’s just awful when something like this happens anywhere,” Davis said.