A Miami Gardens man was quick to act when he saw a young girl inside one of his trash cans and a man beating her with a brick.
Jose Sotomyer was at his home Thursday evening in the 20100 block of NW 27th Court when he heard the girl's screams and encountered the horrific scene.
"I didn't think anything except to jump on the guy," he said.
Sotomyer grabbed the man, but he took off. Relatives rushed to the scene and took the 3-year-old girl out of the trash container. Her head was bleeding severely.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue took the child to a local hospital, where she remains in critical condition.
"If I would have waited three, two more minutes more, he would have killed her," Sotomyer said.
The suspect, 20-year-old Tristin Bernard, was taken into custody after the victim was taken to the hosptial.
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According to an arrest report, Bernard became upset with the victim after she ran out of the home when he was watching her and did not listen to him. He allegedly put the girl in the trash can.
Bernard, who is reportedly the girl's uncle, faces charges of attempted murder and child abuse. He appeared in Miami-Dade bond court Friday, where a judge issued house arrest, plus a GPS ankle monitor. He remains in jail on $160,000 bond. Attorney information was not available.
Editor's Note: Miami Gardens police later corrected the girl's age to 3 years old.
