Man punches girlfriend's baby, causing intestinal damage, police say

Tyquan Spencer, girlfriend arrested after punch sends girl to hospital

Tyquan Spencer is accused of punching his girlfriend's daughter in the stomach so hard that it caused her to throw up and undergo emergency surgery.

NORTH MIAMI, Fla. – A Miami man was arrested Wednesday after he punched a 1-year-old girl in the stomach, causing intestinal damage, police said.

Tyquan Spencer faces charges of child abuse causing great bodily harm and criminal mischief.

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According to a police report, Spencer punched his live-in girlfriend's daughter in the stomach earlier this month while he was home alone with the girl and her siblings.

Police said Spencer's punch caused the girl to throw up. The punch damaged the girl's small intestine, forcing her to undergo emergency surgery at a hospital.

Spencer, 22, denied punching the girl. He was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Police say Scarlett Ruiz didn't tell the medical staff at the hospital what happened to her daughter.

The girl's mother, Scarlett Ruiz, was also arrested after police said she knew about the punch but failed to advise the medical staff about it.

Police said the girl returned to the hospital two days later with worsening symptoms, and Ruiz, 24, coached her other child, who witnessed the punch, to deny what they saw.

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About the Author:

Peter Burke returned for a second stint of duty at Local 10 News in February 2014.