PANORAMA CITY : Father Held After Girl, 2, Is Injured

A Panorama City man was arrested Friday on suspicion of shaking his 2-year-old daughter until she suffered serious brain injuries, Los Angeles police said.

Jesus Ayala, 19, was being held in the Van Nuys Jail on suspicion of willful cruelty to a child, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of six years in state prison, said Detective Terri Reitz. Ayala’s daughter, whose name was withheld, was in critical condition at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles.

The child was airlifted to the hospital early Friday after paramedics were summoned to her home, Reitz said. The detective said she had not yet determined who made the emergency call. The child’s mother was being questioned but had not been arrested, Reitz said.