BURNSVILLE — An eastern Minnesota woman faces charges after authorities said she was seen punching her 2-year-old son in a store’s parking lot.

Thirty-four-year-old Vanessa Lee Dicus of Burnsville is charged with malicious punishment of a child following the suspected incident last week.

Court documents say someone inside a parked car reported seeing Dicus hit the child on the side of his head after he swiped at his mother’s chin.

Police identified Dicus from a license plate number the witness provided. When officers went to her home, they found the child with a bruised forehead and a scratch on his temple. They said Dicus confirmed she was at the store but denied striking the child.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Dicus has an attorney.