Disturbing new video shows a Minnesota autism center worker repeatedly pushing a 3-year-old boy to the floor, WCCO-TV reports.
In the footage, obtained by the television station, 25-year-old Arianna Williams can be seen grabbing the child and slamming him to the ground.
After the boy gets up, Williams shoves him back down again, causing him to scream. Williams then picks up the child into the air and violently throws him to the floor a third time.
Authorities have charged Williams with malicious punishment of a child.
The incident occurred at Sunrise Autism Center in Burnsville, just south of Minneapolis. It was Williams’ first day working with kids without direct supervision, according to WCCO-TV.
Upon learning of the assault, management fired Williams and notified police. She subsequently texted a former colleague: “I’d never purposely hurt anyone I was just having a really bad start to the week,” the television station reported.
It is not clear when the incident occurred, but the nonverbal boy started attending the facility after being diagnosed with autism in 2023, his mother told WCCO-TV.
Sunrise Autism Center issued a statement that said the business is “cooperating with the investigation and their priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our clients.”
The boy’s mother said Williams should not be allowed to work with children.
“I hope she never is able to work somewhere with kids, especially children with disabilities,” the mother told the television station, speaking in Somali. “She should never be trusted with children ever.
“You would think she doesn’t have a heart.”
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[Feature Photo: Arianna Williams/Police Handout]
