LUCERNE VALLEY, Calif. (KTLA) -- Sheriff's deputies arrested a man Thursday night after he allegedly beat his girlfriend's 2-year-old son to death in a remote area of Lucerne Valley.
Dispatchers received a call about 10:05 p.m. of a child who had been assaulted and was not breathing at a home in the 9200 block of Anza Trail. Deputies arrived to find paramedics administering CPR to 2-year-old Damian Negrete, according to a news release issued by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
Paramedics later rushed Negrete to Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center in Apple Valley. From there, they air-lifted the child to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:25 a.m. Friday.
While paramedics tried to save Negrete, deputies found Ceasar Vasquez, 19, hiding in the desert nearby, suffering from a self-inflicted wound to his neck, according to the news release.
The deputies detained Vasquez and took him to Desert Valley Hospital in Victorville, where he was treated for his neck wound. Investigators learned that Vasquez was the boyfriend of Negrete's mother.
Sheriff's officials believe Vasquez is responsible for Negrete's death, according to the news release. He was arrested on suspicion of murder and booked at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, where he is being held without bail.
The County Coroner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of Negrete's death.
Dispatchers received a call about 10:05 p.m. of a child who had been assaulted and was not breathing at a home in the 9200 block of Anza Trail. Deputies arrived to find paramedics administering CPR to 2-year-old Damian Negrete, according to a news release issued by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
Paramedics later rushed Negrete to Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center in Apple Valley. From there, they air-lifted the child to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:25 a.m. Friday.
While paramedics tried to save Negrete, deputies found Ceasar Vasquez, 19, hiding in the desert nearby, suffering from a self-inflicted wound to his neck, according to the news release.
The deputies detained Vasquez and took him to Desert Valley Hospital in Victorville, where he was treated for his neck wound. Investigators learned that Vasquez was the boyfriend of Negrete's mother.
Sheriff's officials believe Vasquez is responsible for Negrete's death, according to the news release. He was arrested on suspicion of murder and booked at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, where he is being held without bail.
The County Coroner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of Negrete's death.
