"Had to stick up for him:" Woman steps up after she witnesses boy being beaten at grocery store

INDIANAPOLIS -- A woman out shopping for items at an Indianapolis grocery store said she had to intervene when she saw a woman beating a child.

"They were battering him. All I could do is think 'if this is what happens here, what happens at home?'" Jeanna Aliff said.

Aliff said she was standing by the meat counter at a Kroger store on Wednesday, June 21st when she heard a woman screaming.

"Everyone starts looking over because it's really loud and causing a big scene," Aliff said.

Aliff said she saw the woman violently shaking and hitting a young boy in the face.

"She was beating him in an aggressive manner. He was just sitting there slumped over and she was just kind of having her way with him," Aliff said.

Refusing to stand back and be quiet, she walked over to confront the woman and defend the boy.

"I was like 'woah, woah, woah.' I was like, 'stop!'" Aliff said.

The angry shopper told Aliff to mind her own business.

"Says 'this is the reason why kids are the way they are today,'" Aliff said.

Aliff didn't back down -- as tensions escalated.

"I had to stick up for him. She ended up smacking me," Aliff said.

A store manager called police, as Aliff followed the woman outside with her phone.

"I took pictures of her and of the license plate," Aliff said.

She then posted about the encounter on Facebook, with hope someone knows the woman.

"Everything goes through your head at that point. Is he full custody with these people? Are they taking him home and beating him?" Aliff said.

Turns out, the boy's mother saw the post.

"Somehow she found out and notified me," Aliff said.

She was grateful Aliff stepped in to help, telling Aliff the woman is the boys grandmother, who was keeping him for a few days. If Aliff hadn't done something, Mom said, she may have never found out about it.

"So when people see this kind of stuff out and about, I hope that someone else steps up. If you see a kid being abused, step in. Say something," Aliff said.

The boy has been returned to his parents, and police are investigating.