A mother of a 5-year-old is outraged after her daughter was struck by a shoe thrown at her by a staff member at a daycare in Inglewood.
The young girl, who has special needs, was being cared for at Destiny Development Center, as reported by KTLA. The incident, which occurred on Jan. 16, was captured by surveillance cameras at the facility.
Video Shows Staff Member Throwing Shoe at the Child, Other Staff Members Seen Laughing
The video footage, now being widely circulated on social media, showed the employee taking off her shoe before hurling it at the child, who can be heard crying loudly after being struck by the shoe. The incident was witnessed by two other female staff members in the room, one of whom appears to be laughing.
The child's mother, Michelae Jones, said her daughter told her about the incident the same night, prompting her to confront the director of the child care facility but she didn't receive a response until more than two weeks later – when she was shown the surveillance footage of the incident.
Daycare's Director Told Jones She Was Conducting an Investigation, Said the Caregiver Intended to Throw the Shoe into Another Room
The daycare center's director, Danielle Williams, reportedly told Jones that she was conducting an investigation. She later told Jones that the caregiver who threw the shoe was allegedly "throwing shoes into another room that weren't supposed to be there and [the child] accidentally got hit in the head with the shoe."
"My school, what we stand for, it's not child abuse," Williams said. "We don't hire child abusers." Following an investigation, Williams fired the caregiver who threw the shoe, identified only as "Ms. Emily."
The other two women in the room were initially suspended for failing to report the incident, but after reviewing the footage, she said they were fired as well. Williams emphasized that all her teachers and staff members have undergone a thorough background check before being hired.
"We go through every procedure for people to get employed at this facility — a caregiver background check, FBI index, everything and then the training that goes along with it," she explained. "I wouldn't wish this on anybody's child. We don't stand for it, we don't agree with it."
Jones Wants the Caregiver to be Arrested for Assault, Child Abuse; Cops Investigating the Incident
Jones, said she's outraged and in disbelief over the incident. "I've been with these people for three years," she told KTLA. "I really thought my baby was safe with them."
Jones said the daycare's director apologized over the incident but it wasn't enough and raised concerns about the incident not being an isolated case. She said she wants the caregiver to be arrested for assault and child abuse and to see criminal charges filed.
"You need to be in jail like any other child abuser," she said. "That's what I want. Justice."
The incident is now being investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, according to the outlet.
