Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
New York Post
Autism center employee charged in sickening caught-on-video assault of toddler
By Megan Palin,
15 days ago
Sickening video emerged this week of an employee at an autism center repeatedly assaulting a 3-year-old boy during her first unsupervised shift at an autism center in Minnesota.
Arianna Williams, 25, has been charged with malicious punishment of a child after disturbing video footage recorded inside the Sunrise Autism Center in Burnsville, a city about 15 miles south of Minneapolis, showed her suddenly grab the child by his shoulder and push him to the floor as he casually walked by, news station WCCO reported Thursday .
When he gets up, she shoves him down again and he lands on his back with a thud, causing the child to scream, the clip shows.
Moments later, Williams can be seen using both hands to lift the boy into the air, before violently throwing him to the floor.
Williams can be seen pulling the boy by his shoulder. CBS News
She then throws him to the floor. When he gets up, she does it again. CBS News Williams then picked the boy up and threw him to the floor for a third time. CBS News
According to charging documents, the incident took place on the first day Williams was allowed to be with children unsupervised, CBS reports.
Sunrise Autism Center says it fired the teacher immediately and called police.
After being fired, investigators say, Williams sent a text to a co-worker, reading in part, “I’d never purposely hurt anyone I was just having a really bad start to the week.”
Arianna Williams, 25, has been charged with malicious punishment of a child . CBS News The little boy’s mother, Farhiya (pictured from behind as she talks to a WCCO reporter), said she cried and screamed when she saw the video. CBS News
Farhiya, a Somali American, told WCCO that her son was diagnosed with autism last year and that she had enrolled him at the center for speech and occupational therapy.
He had only been attending for a week before the assault took place, she added.
She said she cried and screamed when she first saw the footage.
In a statement, Sunrise Autism Center said its team is “cooperating with the investigation and their priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our clients.”
Williams is scheduled to next appear in court on June 20.
For top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Most Popular
Comments / 0