Shocking video shows father choking 10-year-old boy in playground after he 'picked a fight with his son'

Police were alarmed after receiving a cellphone video showing a middle-aged man apparently choking a 10-year-old boy in a local park on Memorial Day.

The suspect from the video taken at Gwen Margolis Park in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, was quickly identified as Robert Sandy Marcu, 60.

Marcu was charged with aggravated child abuse with great bodily harm and battery by strangulation, though he described the incident in court as 'minor.'

Video of the alleged strangling shows Marcu grabbing a 10-year-old boy by the neck and shaking him at the park.

The child's head can be seen moving back and forth, though his face has been blurred in the video to protect the minor's identity.

Accused strangler Robert Sandy Marcu, 60, who allegedly choked a 10-year-old boy who had gotten into a playground scuffle with his son

Sunny Isles Beach Police Sergeant Melissa Porro said of the incident, 'The biggest concern here is that a grown man with the strength of a man went after a young child that was helpless and could not, based on size alone, defend himself.'

Authorities say that the young victim and another child, reported to be Marcu's son, were playing with water guns on the hot day, when a fight broke out between the boys and Marcu intervened.

'It was at this time that that individual approached one of the children involved in that little child's play fight,' said Porro.

He 'began to violently choke this child, pretty much scare this child to the point that he was crying hysterically and very upset,' she added.

In the arrest report, authorities wrote that Marcu grabbed the young victim by the neck, which halted his ability to properly breathe and restricted his airway.

He then shook the child while keeping a tight grasp of his neck.

The report than reads that Marcu said, 'I know what I did, and I did it to teach him a lesson.'

The alleged assault reportedly occurred at Gwen Margolis Park in Sunny Beach Isles, Florida on Memorial Day 

The victim was allegedly left with red marks and scratches on his person.

Sergeant Porro said the boy was rattled considerably by the incident, but physically alright.

On Tuesday, Marcu appeared in court, where a local judge set his bond at $5,000.

He was also ordered to stay away from the victim, who it was also revealed attends the same school as his son.