Anaheim man pleads guilty to physical assault of child in Newport Beach

An Anaheim man has pleaded guilty to the physical assault of a child in Marina Park in Newport Beach in 2019.

Bruce Michael Navarro, 30, entered his plea Jan. 29 to one felony count of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, one felony count of child abuse and endangerment, and one misdemeanor count of battery on a peace officer or emergency personnel.

Orange County district attorney’s office spokeswoman Kimberly Edds said the incident occurred in May 2019 when a family was on an outing with their then-22-month-old son and an intoxicated Navarro punched the child in the face.

A civil lawsuit filed against Navarro in Orange County Superior Court in July last year alleges that the impact was “so severe and substantial that it lifted [the victim] off his feet and caused him to fly through the air to the ground, thereby inflicting bodily harm.”

The complaint adds that the victim “suffered physical injuries to his face, including a contusion to his upper lip, a laceration of his inner cheek and lacerations to both his upper and lower lips.”

Navarro has been sentenced to two years of formal probation and 364 days in county jail. Navarro will also pay restitution, according to court documents. He is currently out on a bail of $100,000.

Edds said in an email Thursday that Navarro enrolled and completed substance abuse treatment prior to entering his guilty plea and enrolled in additional programming.

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