MORROW, Ga. -- Morrow police say surveillance video and witnesses caught a man beating a mother who is also a soldier and calling her racial slurs.

Tasha Hill, a United States Army soldier, and her 7-year-old daughter Shiyenn both have a hard time talking about what happened to them at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant on Southlake Plaza Drive in Morrow.

"I was thinking that it was my fault and that I shouldn’t have picked to go over there," said Shiyenn.

Hill said they stopped at Cracker Barrel because her daughter wanted to eat there. When they were walking inside the restaurant, a big man police identified as Troy Dale West of Poulan, Ga., forced the door open and almost hit Shiyenn.

Hill said the 6'2", 215 lb. man started punching and kicking her because she said excuse me and because she is black.

"[I said] 'Excuse me sir watch out you almost hit my daughter in the face.' He just came lighting fast came back at me with, 'You need to watch your f-n daughter,'" said Hill.

Hill said that's what West said before his fists started pounding her.

"He continued to punch and kick on me and called me vulgar names, called me a racial slur and then curse words," said Hill.

Morrow Police Commander Jimmy Callaway said the restaurant's surveillance video clearly shows West beating Hill in the restaurant's small entryway.

"It’s clearly a shocking incident to where a man that’s twice the size of this female beats her down in front of the child," said Callaway.

Hill said her daughter seeing that hurts her more than the bruises and racial slurs.

"That just really bothered me for her to see that. I want justice served I don’t want him to ever do this to anybody else," said Hill.

Police charged West with cruelty to children, battery and disorderly conduct. He is out of jail on bond.

Morrow Police would not release surveillance video of the incident because they have referred this case to the FBI to investigate it as a hate crime.