A Florida man accused of dangling and dropping a 4-year-old boy from a hotel balcony allegedly told police he just wanted to "scare him a little bit."
Brandon Gilmore, 31, has been charged with aggravated child abuse and is being held without bond, according to Volusia County jail records.
It's unclear if he entered a plea to the charge.
Police said Gilmore met the child's mother at the resort pool five hours before the alleged incident Saturday evening in Daytona Beach, Florida, WESH-TV, The Dayton Beach News-Journal and WFTV-TV reported.
The pair had been drinking and the woman invited Gilmore up to the room she was sharing with another friend, according to police. They planned to get piercings later that day.
While waiting in the room, Gilmore allegedly told the victim's mother he wanted to take him outside to play and "scare him a little bit."
"Gilmore then went outside of the hotel room and proceeded to hold (the boy) by both of his legs, holding him directly over the second-floor balcony," the arrest report read, according to the News-Journal.
Witnesses reported seeing Gilmore dangling the child by one foot. Surveillance footage also captured the alleged incident.
"And then the kid slipped right out from him and fell directly on his head on the concrete, no grass," Dasanni Bentley told WESH.
"His face started turning bright purple," Bentley explained. "He obviously was getting no oxygen. It was just not a good situation."
Bentley said the boy's mom ran downstairs. Bystanders urged her not to touch him and wait for paramedics, but she reportedly scooped him up and ran back to her room.
He was subsequently treated at a hospital for a non-fatal head injury and released Monday, said authorities.
The Department of Children and Families is also investigating the incident.
