Lakewood toddler severely injured in assault; mom’s boyfriend charged

The toddler was in bad shape when he was brought to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma.

His arm was broken, and doctors noticed marks indicating strangulation. By the end of the exam, the 19-month-old was found to also have a bruised liver and pancreas, punctured lung and a severe fungal infection of his genitals.

Lakewood police said the boy was assaulted Jan. 6 while his mother was in class. She said she left her son briefly in the care of a babysitter before her boyfriend took charge of the child.

Her boyfriend, 24-year-old Xavier De’Angelo Black, initially said he didn’t know how the boy was hurt, but said he recalled hearing him cry out in pain.

“The defendant told her he didn’t know how the injuries happened but suspected the babysitter,” according to court records.

The babysitter said she was in the home less than an hour and never saw the toddler.

Black told police he saw the babysitter dangle the child by his arm and tell him “no,” court records show. He then allegedly admitted to hurting the boy and offered a list of explanations.

Among them: the toddler broke his arm after slipping in the bathtub; Black wrapped the boy so tightly in a blanket that he must have bruised his neck; and the child’s rib might have been punctured when Black squeezed him against his own “bony” ribs.

On Wednesday, Pierce County prosecutors charged Black with second-degree child assault. He is scheduled to be arraigned March 15.

No defense attorney was listed for Black.

This story was originally published March 2, 2017 at 8:47 AM with the headline "Lakewood toddler severely injured in assault; mom’s boyfriend charged."