A man who was caught on camera hitting a three-year-old boy to the ground inside a supermarket during a sickening incident has been released on bail.

Justin Whittington, 23, was arrested on Friday and charged with child endangerment after he hit the child – believed to be his son – in the face so hard that he fell back on the floor.

He was filmed by CCTV chasing the boy through the shop on Thursday. When the toddler stopped and raised his arms, Whittington lunges forward and appears to punch him. He then drags him to his feet by his top and then pushes him away.

A pregnant woman – believed to be the child’s mother and Whittington’s partner Crystal – takes the hand of the crying boy, who holds the other to his hurt face, and walks out of the supermarket while Whittington heads in the other direction.

Whittington walks away while the boy cries and holds his face (YouTube)

Whittington, from Bakersfield in California, was released on bail today after it had dropped from $1 million to $20,000.

The child was checked over by paramedics soon after the violent incident and was deemed not to need hospital attention.

Warning: This video contains disturbing images

Harry Dindral, owner of the shop named Vest Market, called the offender a “horrible man” and told the New York Daily News the incident was “the worst thing I’ve ever seen.”

He was notified of the abusive act when another customer saw it happen and pointed out that he should watch the CCTV footage.