LEWISTON — An Auburn man faces charges of aggravated assault for beating and kicking a 16-year-old Lewiston boy in the Lewiston Mall on Tuesday, police said.

Lt. Mark Cornelio said Jacob Estes, 18, of 1769 Hotel Road, was charged with assaulting Dax Catalano in front of the Kennel Store, the mall’s pet store, at about 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Estes was charged with Class B aggravated assault.

“Aggravated assault means there is some sort of injury involved, and the more serious the injury, the charges go up from a B to an A,” Cornelio said.

Estes is accused of assaulting the boy with his fists and his feet but not with any other weapons.

“In this case, it looks like he was punched and kicked, and quite severely,” Cornelio said. “There were no bats or knives or anything else involved.”

Cornelio said the fight appeared to stem from a disagreement about a girlfriend.

Catalano was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland for treatment. Officials from the hospital said the boy remained there Thursday, in satisfactory condition.

staylor@sunjournal.com