A troubling new video displays a worker at a Minnesota autism center pushing a 3-year-old boy to the floor multiple times. WCCO-TV reports.
In the video, received by the television station, 25-year-old Arianna Williams can be observed seizing the child and forcefully pressing him to the ground.
Once the boy stands up, Williams pushes him down again, causing him to cry out. Williams then lifts the child into the air and forcefully drops him to the floor for a third time.
Authorities have accused Williams of maliciously mistreating a child.
The incident took place at Sunrise Autism Center in Burnsville, just south of Minneapolis. It was Williams’ first day working with kids without direct supervision, according to WCCO-TV.
Upon becoming aware of the assault, management dismissed Williams and informed the authorities. She subsequently messaged a former colleague: “I’d never purposely hurt anyone I was just having a really bad start to the week,” the television station reported.
It is not known when the incident occurred, but the nonverbal boy began attending the facility after being diagnosed with autism in 2023, according to his mother who spoke to WCCO-TV.
Sunrise Autism Center issued a statement stating that the business is “cooperating with the investigation and their priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our clients.”
The boy’s mother stated that Williams should not be permitted to work with children.
“I hope she never is able to work somewhere with kids, especially children with disabilities,” the mother told the television station, speaking in Somali. “She should never be trusted with children ever.
“You would think she doesn’t have a heart.”
[Feature Photo: Arianna Williams/Police Handout]