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Couple Caught on Video Punching Woman and Her Teenage Daughter Over Cold Chicken

Police are still searching for Nathaniel Eric Smith and Latasha M. Smith.

Police in Baxley, Georgia, are searching for a couple who physically assaulted a mother and her teenage daughter at their family-owned restaurant.

On June 22, Jeanette Norris, owner of the Quik Chick takeout stand, served a man and a woman two chicken meals. After receiving their food, the couple, identified as Nathaniel Eric Smith and Latasha M. Smith, complained the chicken was cold and they did not receive enough fries. Norris checked their orders and spoke with the couple about their complaint. After a back and forth, Norris refunded the Smiths their money. However, that was not enough to satisfy them. 

"She went berserk. They both lost it, him and her both; started cussing and beating on the window," Jeanette Norris told WTOC.

When Norris went outside to tell them police were on the way, Latasha began punching and slapping her in the face. Soon after the punches started, Norris’s unidentified 15-year-old daughter came over to intervene, but was knocked off her feet by Nathaniel.

"One of my employees yelled, 'He's got her,' and that's when I realized he had hit her," Norris said. "Who does that? Who punches a child like she's a grown man standing there? He needs putting under the jail."

The entire incident was captured by a surveillance camera, which was given to the Baxley Police Department.

"I've been here, what, 41 years? Thirty of them as chief. I have never seen anything like this. I've never heard of anything like this," BPD Chief James Godfrey told WTOC. "The security camera footage that we put out tells it all. That's just pure brutality," said Chief Godfrey. 

(NOTE: Time stamp on the video shows 2010, but police confirmed the video was recorded on Thursday, June 22, 2017.)

According to police records, Nathaniel and Latasha Smith have active warrants for aggravated battery and cruelty to children. They are considered dangerous and have a tendency towards violence.

EMS was called to administer medical aid to Norris, who suffered a broken nose, and her daughter, who suffered bruises and a concussion.

Although police have not yet found the Smiths, people on Facebook and other social media outlets have been eager to assist in their capture. Chief Godfrey says they've been flooded with tips from people who recognized the suspects.

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