Daytona Beach, FL - A man was arrested on Saturday for allegedly dropping a 4-year-old child from the second floor of a Daytona Beach resort.
According to an affidavit from the Daytona Beach police department, 31-year-old Brandon Gilmore was arrested on a felony charge of aggravated child abuse.
Daytona Beach Police Department records state Gilmore met the toddler's mother approximately five hours before the incident, which occurred just before 8 p.m.
Gilmore reportedly told the mother he was taking the child outside to play and "scare him a little bit."
Gilmore then proceeded to hold the child upside down by his legs over the balcony.
Witnesses stated that Gilmore dropped the toddler head-first, causing him to fall two stories to the ground.
Gilmore admitted to holding the child over the balcony but did not provide further details about his actions.
Officers reviewed surveillance footage that captured Gilmore exiting a hotel room holding the child normally before holding him over the balcony by one leg and dropping the child head-first.
The child was rushed to the hospital as a trauma alert due to the severity of the fall.
According to police, the child suffered blunt force trauma to his head, but his current condition was not immediately available.
The Department of Children and Families has taken a report of the incident.
