TEXARKANA, Texas — A 19-year-old was arrested on Monday after witnesses saw him repeatedly hitting his girlfriend's two-year-old son with his fists, the Texarkana Police Department said.
Jordan Smith had arrived in a vehicle to relieve the boy's great-grandmother of babysitting and to take him home. After Smith pulled away, the grandmother saw Smith suddenly stop the car and start hitting the toddler as he sat in the back seat.
She chased after the vehicle, but Smith drove off before she was able to catch up to the car.
Smith then stopped near a pool area, where another witness saw him ball up his fist and hit the boy several more times. After throwing a toy truck out of the car window, Smith left the area with the boy.
Texarkana police tracked Smith to an apartment complex on Elizabeth Street, where Smith and the boy were found with other family members. The child had a large knot on his forehead, bruises around his eyes, and a bloody lip. Smith said these were a result of the child's allergies.
Smith was arrested for Injury to a Child with Intentional Bodily Injury.
The boy was taken to Wadley Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Smith is currently being held in the Bi-State Jail with a $100,000 bond.
