A south Florida political candidate is behind bars after video footage caught him allegedly putting an unarmed teenage in a violent chokehold at a local restaurant.

According to local affiliate Local 10 News, attorney George Bardmesser, who is running for the Sunny Isles Beach commissioner position, is accused of choking a teen and slapping another inside a local Cuban restaurant.

From video footage obtained by Local 10 the incident, Bardmesser, who was dressed in a shirt promoting his political campaign, appears to walk over to a group of teens seated at the restaurant.

The 59-year-old then goes toward the corner of the table and appears to place his arms around a teen’s neck.

The restaurant-goers can be seen springing to action as a fellow teen appears to grab onto the candidate, pulling him back. Bardmesser can be seen pushing the teen back. He then turns around, allegedly striking the teen in the face.

Two men then intervene, pushing Bardmesser away from the teens as a woman keeps the kids back.

The local news outlet also shared a video recorded by a witness in the restaurant, in which a woman can be heard yelling, “You hit a child!”

Bardmesser appears to shrug his shoulders at her remark, according to the footage.

Per a police report cited by Local10, it’s alleged that the teens were part of a political opposition group that challenges Bardmesser.

“There was a couple of kids sitting, and I don’t know whether they were instigating, said something, generated this gentleman to get up. He put a chokehold on one of the kids and slapped another one,” the restaurant’s owner, Pedro Vera, told Local10. “He got out of hand. He lost control. It should have never happened.”

According to Bardmesser’s Facebook page, he was at the local restaurant for a “Republican coffee meet-up.”

Bardmesser was charged with two counts of child abuse and is being held on a $5,000 bond, according to Miami-Dade inmate records.

Footage of the entire incident is shown in this exclusive video: