A man from New Mexico has been indicted by a grand jury for charges of child abuse, battery, and assault after allegedly smashing a beer bottle over the head of an 8-year-old girl and then using a piece of the broken glass to cut her neck.
The authorities report that the girl was viewing a waterfall at an Albuquerque pizza place when Nichalas San Souci, 24, attacked her with a beer bottle, as stated by the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office. San Souci was a stranger to the girl and her family. The girl suffered significant injuries and received 19 stitches.
This event occurred on April 25 at Saggio’s, a well-known restaurant, according to KOAT. The girl’s father, Britton Rose, mentioned in an interview that there was a long queue upon their arrival, and they anticipated a wait before being able to order and eat.
While they waited, the girl’s mother took their daughter around to look at murals and other decorations in the restaurant.
“That’s when I heard my wife from across the restaurant yelling, ‘No, no, stop,’” Rose said. “Then I knew something was going on with my family.”
Court documents say that San Souci claimed the girl was “in his way” before he attacked, although he did not explain why he thought that a violent attack on an 8-year-old girl was appropriate.
“She did nothing, my daughter did nothing to provoke this attack in any way,” Rose said.
An off-duty paramedic and an intensive care nurse were among the witnesses who rushed to help, keeping the girl calm until first responders reached the scene.
San Souci appeared in court on Monday, where he entered not guilty pleas to child abuse resulting in great bodily harm, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was denied bond.
“It’s anger,” said Rose. “But at the same time, I’m happy he’s being held behind bars. The DA has made it clear they’re taking the case very seriously.”
Rose said the four lacerations on the girl’s neck missed major arteries, and that he considers the family “extremely lucky our daughter wasn’t hurt worse or even killed, because that’s what we feel he was trying to do.”
