A one-month-old baby was transported to a local hospital for observation after his father grabbed him by the legs, held him upside down and started to shake him for nearly a minute before the mother was able to get up off the ground and take the infant away, Brownsville police said.
The incident happened Oct. 24 at the 600 block of Santa Fe Street after Arturo Javier Contreras, 20, and been consuming alcohol earlier that day at a party, police said.
“The baby had bruises to his back and his legs…when he grabbed the baby from her (the mother) he actually grabbed the baby from the leg and held him upside down shaking him,” said Investigator Martin Sandoval, spokesman for the Brownsville Police Department.
The mother was able to grab the baby from Contreras’ arms after he heard her talking to police dispatchers and he let go of the infant and fled from the area, Sandoval said.
EMS personnel checked out the baby at the scene and the mother requested that the baby be transported to the hospital for observation.
“Last I heard the baby was fine, from the hospital, luckily he was okay. He was just a little bruised up,” Sandoval said.
Contreras is charged with one count of injury to a child, assault family violence, endanger child, resist transport and failure to identify.
According to police, the baby’s mother, the baby, and Contreras had been at a party where he was consuming alcohol. When it was time for them to leave, Contreras was driving at a high rate of speed, although his common-law wife was asking him to slow down.
Once they got home, Contreras continued to drink alcohol and started to become aggressive. He was unable to maintain his balance, Sandoval said. He grabbed the baby and took him outside with him. Contreras lost his balance and fell on the infant.
The mother ran after Contreras and grabbed the baby from him, but Contreras got upset, charged at his common-law wife, and yanked the baby out of her arms, Sandoval said.
This is when he started to dangle the baby upside down and the mother called police which distracted him and he left the residence.
The officers checked the surrounding areas and found Contreras a few blocks away and took him into custody, Sandoval said.
Contreras refused to be placed in the patrol unit and after several commands, the officers had to use a stun gun on him and he then complied with the officers orders, Sandoval said.
Contreras was transported to the Brownsville City Jail, where he gave officers a false name. They found a Texas Identification Card on Contreras providing his real name.
Sandoval said police discovered that Contreras gave a false name because he had a warrant out of Cameron County Sheriff’s Department.
Contreras was arraigned on the charges and his bonds totaled $61,000.
Cameron County jail records indicate Contreras remained in custody Wednesday at a county jail facility.
