A Suffolk man was arrested Friday on charges of child abuse and child cruelty after being “confronted by several witnesses after excessively spanking the child,” according to city spokeswoman Diana Klink.

Jessie Albert Lee Holloman Jr., 62, allegedly was spanking the 3-year-old boy both in the store and in the parking lot at Walmart in the 1200 block of North Main Street, according to Klink. Officers were called at 5:40 p.m.

Holloman, who is a friend of the boy’s family, was transported to Western Tidewater Regional Jail, Klink said. Child Protective Services was notified, and the boy was released to his mother.