Turlock man kills child in roadside beating
A man parked his truck on a country road outside Turlock on Saturday night, removed a baby boy from a car seat and then beat the child to death in the street, fighting off passers-by who tried to stop him, until he was gunned down by a police officer whose helicopter landed in a nearby pasture, police said Sunday.
The 27-year-old suspect, who lived in Turlock (Stanislaus County), died almost immediately where he fell. The child, who according to police appeared to be 12 to 24 months old, was taken to a hospital but died before arrival.
Police officials declined to identify the man and said they were not yet certain who the child was – or in what way, if any, he was related to his attacker. The Stanislaus County coroner’s office told police that the agency may have to identify the boy through a DNA test because he was beaten beyond recognition.
