A local realtor was arrested after allegedly punching his son at a restaurant in The Villages.
Daniel Lee Tatro, 49, was arrested on a charge of battery after witnesses claimed he struck his son on Saturday evening at Carrabba’s restaurant at Rolling Acres Plaza.
Tatro, who works primarily in commercial real estate, was arrested after police officers responded to the restaurant at about 8 p.m. after a woman who was leaving the restaurant said she saw a “young boy jump out of an SUV with an older male chasing him,” according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. The woman said she asked the boy if he was OK. She observed a red mark on his right cheek.
In addition, a hostess at the restaurant who had been at the front podium, said she saw a man and boy leave the restaurant and she saw the man “punch the juvenile with a closed fist in the face.” The boy was described as being about seven to eight years old. Both women provided written statements to police.
Officers found Tatro and his son seated at a high-top table at the restaurant. The report noted the boy “placed his arm on the table and placed his hand on his right cheek.” The officer noted that it appeared the boy “was attempting to cover his right cheek.” The officer found a bruise on the boy’s right cheek.
Tatro identified the boy as his “biological son” and claimed he was “acting out of character by yelling at his mother.” Tatro said he had taken the boy out to their vehicle where he “yelled at his son and pinched him.” Tatro denied punching the boy.
The Georgia native was taken into custody and booked at the Lake County Jail. He was released after posting $5,000 bond.