MIAMI — A South Florida man is accused of beating his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son because the boy was watching “PAW Patrol,” allegedly telling the child that the show was “for girls,” authorities said.
Keyyun Anthony Bryant, 36, of Miami, was arrested on Tuesday, according to Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation online records. He faces one felony count of child abuse, online records show.
The case stems from a Dec. 26, 2022, incident in the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami, WPLG-TV reported.
CHILD ABUSE ARREST: Police say a Miami man beat his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son for watching the children’s show “PAW Patrol," telling the boy it's “for girls.” https://t.co/7OXk1z8S8F
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) April 3, 2024
Police said the incident happened on Dec. 26, 2022 at a home on Northwest Seventh Place in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood.
The witness said she and the child were watching the animated television series, which features six rescue dogs that use their talents to keep the town of Adventure Bay safe, when Bryant entered the room.
Police said that Bryant allegedly “grabbed the victim by the arm, neck, and hit him in the back of the head because the victim was in the ‘girls room,’” according to WPLG.
During a forensic interview, the victim allegedly told staff members at the University of Miami Child Protection Team that Bryant scratched the boy and “wrapped both his hands around his neck and told him he was going to take him to jail.”
Miami police detectives located Bryant on Tuesday, and the suspect denied the charges, WPLG reported.
According to police, Bryant told detectives he has watched over his girlfriend’s children when she went to work. He said the allegations against him were false, adding the child’s biological father “has lodged false allegations” against him on other occasions, according to the television station.
Bryant remained in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County as of Wednesday evening, online records show. No bail has been set.
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