A Florida man accused of the attempted murder of an 11-month-old baby he was babysitting was arrested on Sunday night. Investigators claimed Glen Franklin Neal Jr., 31, punched, kicked and bit the infant at a home in Pinellas Park in Tampa, according to a Facebook post from the Pinellas Park Police Department.
Neal Jr. was charged with one count of attempted murder by the authorities.
The suspect's mother, Mary Hatten, has spoken out in defense of her son, saying that it was all a misunderstanding.
"He loves kids, he will get upset about a child, he has an 11-year-old, Glen has six, seven kids of his own and not one of them has been spanked, beaten or punched," said Hatten, according to WFTS-TV.
Since the incident, which took place July 5, the infant has been in critical condition, suffering from severe head trauma and brain bleeding.
The suspect was arrested before for charges on child neglect, cocaine possession, battering of a law enforcement officer and other criminal offenses.
Investigators believe Neal Jr. beat up the child because he was frustrated that he would not stop crying, said Pinellas Park Sgt. Adam Geissenberger, according to the New York Daily News.
