A 35-year-old Cuban woman identified as Yaslaine Garateix Agüero was arrested in Hialeah after being accused of child abuse against her young daughter, in a video-recorded incident that has sparked outrage.
The video of the incident was shared exclusively this Thursday by Univision, which warned about the disturbing nature of the images. In them, Garateix is seen struggling with his daughter while shouting at her in the middle of a public street.
The events occurred on May 27th at a small shopping center in Hialeah, specifically in front of the store Nanas Baby Boutique, located at 4377 West 16th Avenue.
According to several witnesses and owners of nearby establishments, the woman was seen shouting and violently pushing her daughter.
“The girl was screaming: ‘let me go, let me go, I want my dad,’” reported Arelis Guillén, the boutique owner, who also recorded part of the altercation.
Guillén explained that the situation escalated when Garateix took the minor to the parking lot, and the mother started to scream, "I want to die, I want to die."
"She grabbed the girl, covered her mouth, her nose, everything. Yelling at her and holding her very tightly. The video cuts off when she throws her to the ground because I come out to scream that I'm going to call the police,” recounted the witness.
A social worker from a nearby clinic heard the commotion and went to the scene, finding the mother disoriented and refusing to answer questions.
According to the police report, the girl stated that her mother sometimes "bites her cheek, pushes her, and yells at her."
Resistance to arrest
The Cuban woman resisted arrest. "She was not letting the police put her in the car, so she threw herself on the ground and everything," explained a witness.
The woman's erratic behavior led agents to conclude that she was not in a suitable mental state to be interrogated at that moment.
A psychology clinic in the area provided assistance to both the mother and the minor following the incident.
Despite the compelling testimonies and the striking images of the incident, Yosvel Águila, Yaslaine's brother, has firmly denied that his sister mistreated the minor.
The case is still under investigation. The mother recently appeared before Judge Mindy S. Glazer to face charges related to child abuse. She also has a hold order from Immigration.
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