Florida School Bus Aide, 79, Charged with Child Abuse After 'Smacking' 9-Year-Old Autistic Boy: Police By Ingrid Vasquez

A 79-year-old school bus aide in Florida was arrested and charged with child abuse after police said he purposely harmed a 9-year-old nonverbal autistic boy.

According to a press release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to Cypress Creek Elementary School regarding a child abuse call for service on Friday, Jan 9.

Upon arrival, deputies met with the 9-year-old’s mother, who alleged that her son may have been struck on the school bus by his aide, James Savage Jr..

A criminal affidavit reviewed by PEOPLE claims that Savage “intentionally and willfully slapped the victim on [his] left hand.”

He allegedly then took off his baseball cap and “smacked the victim on the left side of [the] face.” According to the sheriff’s department, the incident “took place all while the victim was harnessed to a bus seat.”

The 9-year-old is said to have sustained “red linear marking to the top of his left hand,” per the affidavit.

“These acts were intentional, malicious, and done against the victim’s will,” the affidavit alleged. “The victim is non-verbal, autistic and below the age of eighteen.”

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office included surveillance footage from the school bus in its press release, which appears to show Savage speaking with the boy.

In the video, a man can be seen slapping the seat before moving back. Later, the man appears to smack the boy on the face. The boy, whose face is blurred in the video, then appears to grab the left side of his head.

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Another clip in the video appears to show the boy extending his arm towards the man before it is slapped away.

Savage was arrested and now faces one charge of child abuse.

“Any form of abuse against a child is completely unacceptable,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a press release.

“Children deserve to feel safe at all times, especially in the care of those entrusted with their well-being,” he said. “Protecting our most vulnerable is a responsibility we will never take lightly, and those who violate that trust will face the consequences.”

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PEOPLE reached out to Hillsborough County Public Schools for comment.