A 40-year-old Austin man has pleaded not guilty after allegedly beating a woman during a March 11 church service.

Agwak Othow Omat, 40, pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony domestic assault.

Omat allegedly sat several rows behind the mother of his two children and several other children at Our Savior’s Lutheran in Austin and tried to remove his 4-year-old son from the service. The 4-year-old got upset, and the mother intervened. Omat then allegedly shoved the mother to the ground, punched her in the face and kicked her in the back before other churchgoers intervened, according to the court complaint.

Though Omat left the church, he later discovered that police were looking for him, called authorities and allowed them to arrest him at his home. Omat’s pretrial is set for Sept. 21.