Bryan Morales Gracia, a 34-year-old Pennsylvania man, faces serious charges after being accused of assaulting an 18-month-old child and killing the family’s Chihuahua by throwing the child with such force that he landed on top of the small dog, killing him instantly. .
Gracia was arrested over the weekend and charged with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, among other crimes, according to local authorities.
The events occurred on Saturday, May 25, when, around 10:57 p.m., officers from the Altoona Police Department received an emergency call reporting an incident at the Evergreen Manors apartment complex, located about 100 miles east. from Pittsburgh. A witness had seen through a window how a man was physically abusing a small child.
“A witness to the incident had parked his vehicle in the complex in front of the apartment’s bedroom window, where they could clearly see inside because the blinds were up,” the police detailed in their press release.
He added: “At that time, the witness observed that the adult, later identified as Bryan Morales Gracia, held the child and hit him repeatedly before throwing him into a Pack-n-Play.”
The police have not revealed the identity of the child who was the victim of the attack.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders located the child and noticed that he was visibly injured. According to the police report, the child had “red marks on his cheeks, back and forehead, as well as what appeared to be two partial fingerprint marks on his forehead.”
The child was immediately taken to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Altoona for medical attention.
The dog died
In addition to the injured child, police found the family’s Chihuahua dead inside the apartment. The investigation determined that the dog had died as a result of the attack on the child.
“It was determined that the child and the Chihuahua were often placed together at the Pack-n-Play and were there that night,” police said. “During this incident, the child was thrown into the Pack-n-Play with such force that he fatally injured the Chihuahua.”
According to a report from the Altoona Mirror, a security guard who was on duty that night told police that after the incident, Gracia and the child’s mother left the apartment and sat on the sidewalk, while the baby could be heard crying inside. the House. Gracia held the dead dog in her arms.
In an interview with police, Gracia admitted to hitting the boy because, according to him, the boy was hitting the dog. He alleged that when he placed the child in the Pack-n-Play with the dog, as they often did, he must have accidentally placed the child on top of the animal. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Gracia continued to hold the lifeless dog throughout the conversation with the officers.
Bryan Morales Gracia was taken to the Blair County Jail and is being held on $25,000 bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on July 5, according to court records.
With information from Law&Crime.
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