Bryan Morales Gracia (Altoona Police Dept.)
A 34-year-old man in Pennsylvania is accused of beating an 18-month-old child and killing a small dog when he allegedly threw the child with such force that he landed on top of the family’s Chihuahua, killing the animal.
Bryan Morales Gracia was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with one count each of aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child, among other crimes, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Altoona Police Department, officers at about 10:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 25, responded to the Evergreen Manors apartment complex regarding an adult male allegedly assaulting a small child. The apartments are about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh.
The individual who called 911 told police that they had seen through a window looking into the home a man physically abusing the toddler.
“A witness to the incident had parked their vehicle at the complex facing the bedroom window of the apartment where they could obviously observe the interior of the bedroom due to the blinds being pulled up,” police wrote in the news release. “At that time, the witness observed the adult, later identified as Bryan Morales Gracia holding the child and repeatedly striking it before then throwing the child into a Pack-n-Play.”
The victim of the alleged assault was not identified by authorities.
