3 Boys Held in Beating of Infant, Theft of Tricycle

Three youngsters were booked for investigation of attempted murder Tuesday in the beating of an infant while stealing a Big Wheel tricycle from a neighborhood home, police said.

The boys--two of them age 8 and one age 6--were questioned Tuesday morning and taken to Juvenile Hall, where they were booked, Police Capt. Ray Howard said.

Authorities believe that the youngsters broke into the home Monday and kicked, punched and possibly used a stick to beat the 4-week-old baby. The infant remained on life support with two skull fractures and internal bleeding.

“This is an anomaly that just doesn’t occur,” Howard said. “It’s a tragedy for everybody.”

Howard added that the suspects are the youngest in memory to be investigated for such a serious crime. Besides attempted murder, the youngsters also were booked for investigation of burglary and conspiracy.

According to police, the three entered the house while the baby-sitter, an 18-year-old stepsister living with the family, was in another room. The boys allegedly tipped over the baby’s bassinet and assaulted the sleeping child.

The suspects then put the infant on another bed and fled with the Big Wheel, police said. The stepsister, who said she heard nothing, checked on the baby five minutes later and found him lying on the bed quiet and motionless. She immediately called 911.

Detectives were baffled about the children’s motives. The suspects were friendly with at least one of the family’s children but police knew of no grudge the children may have had against the family.

“Hard to reason why,” Howard said. He added that the boys cried as they told investigators what happened, but he didn’t know if the tears were from remorse or fear.

The parents were out shopping with their two older children at the time of the robbery. The tricycle was later recovered.

The incident left officers shaken up “big time,” police spokesman Mike Walters said.

“It’s very disturbing,” he said. “Everybody’s walking around here going, ‘I can’t believe it.’ ”