LaGrange police arrested a man after he allegedly hit a juvenile in the face about 6:30 p.m. Friday inside the Tall Pines apartment complex at 150 Turner St.

Ronald Ray McCormick, 34, of LaGrange, was taken into custody on Mitchell Avenue near Burke Lane after leaving the apartment and then running from police.

According to the police report, a woman inside the apartment witnessed McCormick hold the 11 year old against a wall and repeatedly strike him in the face.

The youth told officers he was playing with other kids in the apartment near McCormick. The boy stated he started to walk away when the man came up behind him, slammed him against the wall and punched him at least three times in the face.

LPD officers noted the boy’s face was red and swollen in some places, the report stated. He also had a cut on his cheek.

McCormick told police the kids were throwing balls of paper at him, but one of the children then hit him in the head with “something other than paper.” The man said he went after the youth and swung at him a few times, but never actually struck him, according to the police report.

McCormick was charged with cruelty to a child in the first degree, a felony; battery, obstruction of an officer and criminal trespass.

He was taken to Troup County Jail.

Hit and run arrest

A 21-year-old man who allegedly hit a car and left the scene in the 200 block of Waverly Way about 5 p.m. on Friday was later found by Troup County sheriff’s deputies and arrested.

The driver involved in the accident said the man came up quickly behind him in a red Chevrolet pickup truck and was weaving on the road and tailgating him. According to the driver, the truck hit his car from behind as they approached Virginia Avenue.

The driver told LaGrange police the man stopped, got out of his pick up truck and squared up like he was ready to fight, the police report stated. The two drivers exchanged words before the man got back in his truck, squealed his tires and took off.

A witness told officers she saw the truck take the curve near Edmonson Drive on two wheels prior to the accident.

After officers ordered a look out for the vehicle, a sheriff’s deputy spotted the truck and the driver in the 100 block of Whitaker Road. The man was arrested and cited for following too closely, leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, laying drag and no insurance.

Business burglarized

An employee of the Fun Factoree at 300 Bacon St. returned to work on Friday about 3:30 p.m. and noticed items missing from the building.

The woman told LaGrange police a hot dog roller and nacho machine were gone.

The estimated value of both pieces of equipment was about $550.

Police are investigating.

Tires stolen from car

A man walked outside from his apartment on Hogansville Road just after 5 a.m. on Friday and discovered someone stole all four tires from his Chevrolet Tahoe.

LaGrange police said when they arrived on scene, the SUV was sitting on blocks with the tires missing.

The man told officers the tires were 28-inch DUB Ballers worth $4,500.

Stolen cars

• A man told LaGrange police his 1992 black Chevrolet Camaro was stolen from the Tech Tires lot at 1313 Hogansville Road sometime between 6 p.m. on Thursday and 7:30 a.m. on Friday. The car was valued at $8,000.

• A man leaving his home in the 500 block of Meadow Terrace called police about 5:50 a.m. on Friday after realizing his blue 1994 Chevrolet Silverado truck was missing from the driveway. The owner told officers the truck was worth about $5,000.

Stolen car recovered

A stolen car was recovered on Friday morning after someone spotted it on the side of Interstate 85 near mile marker 32 in Hogansville.

The owner had just reported the 1983 black Chevrolet El Camino missing from the Whispering Pines apartment complex at 1515 Hogansville Road to LaGrange police, the report stated.

Officers said the someone broke the steering wheel column and hot-wired the car.

Police are investigating.