An 18-year-old Watsonville woman was reportedly arrested on suspicion of child abuse Thursday after police obtained a video of her hitting a 15-month-old girl.
The video reportedly shows Barbara Garcia seated on the floor when, "Without provocation, Garcia violently swung her hand and slapped the child on the head, knocking the child off her feet as she flew several feet away and lay motionless on the ground," Watsonville police Sgt. Saul Gonzalez said.
Reportedly still seated, Garcia "grabbed the child by the hair," dragged the child to her lap and continued to slap her in the face," Gonzalez said.
Garcia takes care of a 15-month-old girl who is her boyfriend's daughter from a previous relationship, said Gonzalez. Garcia is pregnant with her boyfriend's child.
Thursday afternoon, Garcia's neighbor on the 500 block of California Street reportedly called police because he heard a woman hitting a child, police said.
Police found the 15-month-old girl unresponsive with bruises around her eyes. She was taken to a hospital, where she remained Friday with a traumatic head injury.
To Read More on this Story: Click Here
|
||||||
