FRANKLIN—A Franklin man faces felony charges for beating up his girlfriend’s mother in front of her 9- and 10-year-old children, Franklin police said.

Herbert MacJames Teal, 28, of 606 Cameron St. at 6 p.m. Tuesday punched the 43-year-old woman in the head several times and then rammed her head against a brick wall in the apartment, causing a severe cut, police said. The victim was treated and released from Southampton Memorial Hospital.

Before the assault, the victim had allegedly gone to her daughter’s apartment, which she shares with Teal. The mother assaulted her daughter, who retaliated, police said. That’s when Teal allegedly stepped in.

Teal was charged with malicious wounding and taken to Western Tidewater Regional Jail in Suffolk without bond.

The investigation is continuing and additional charges may be filed.