HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A camera designed to catch illegal dumping instead captured footage of a man hitting a 7-year-old boy at least 62 times in five minutes, the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable's Office said Friday.
The incident happened on Thursday, Feb. 16 at an unspecified spot in northwest Houston. The man is seen hitting the boy on the head, shoulders, torso, legs and buttocks dozens of times, knocking the child to the ground several times.
A Harris County Precinct 1 deputy monitoring the cameras noticed the alternation around 5 p.m. Less than three hours later, deputies arrested Kordarell Williams, 27, in connection with the incident.
"This guy ravaged this kid, he was hit 62 times, we counted," said Constable Alan Rosen. "He was bent over the hood of a car and hit with a belt. It's just an extremely sad situation."
Williams has been charged with causing injury to a child. The child is the son of Williams' girlfriend.
Eyewitness News stopped by the home shared by Williams, his girlfriend, three children and a grandmother. The woman who came to the door said she did not want to talk.
Following Williams' arrest, the boy was transported to a hospital for medical treatment. Child Protective Services tells Eyewitness News it currently does not have custody of the child.
"I'm proud and relieved that quick action by our deputies led to the arrest and to medical care for the child, and that justice will be done," Constable Alan Rosen said in a news release. "As a law enforcement leader, a parent and a life-long member of this community, I'm deeply concerned and upset by such an incident."
The camera that caught the altercation is one of 25 placed strategically around the city where illegal dumping is known to have taken place. Authorities have used footage from the cameras to charge dozens of suspected illegal dumpers.