LOS ANGELES, CA — All employees at a daycare facility in the Lennox community of unincorporated Los Angeles County seen on video surveillance witnessing a teacher throwing a shoe at a 5-year-old autistic student and not reporting the attack have been fired, authorities said Saturday.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Bureau was notified Wednesday of the Jan. 9 incident at the Destiny Development Center at 4949 W. 104th St., according to the department.
“There have been no arrests at this time as detectives from the Special Victims Bureau are in the early stages of the criminal investigation which remains ongoing,” the department said.
“The involved day care center has been cooperative with department investigators and has fired all involved employees seen in the video,” the LASD continued. “The child did not suffer any serious physical injuries and there are no additional victims reported to investigators at this time.”
Protesters had gathered outside the daycare facility Friday to express their outrage over a surveillance video that showed a teacher throwing her shoe at the 5-year-old student, CBS2 reported.
After the shoe hit the child, the teacher walked over and appeared to comfort the student, the station reported.
Danielle Williams, the director of the daycare center, shared an apology via Instagram.
“I understand the hurt, frustration of the mother,” Williams said. “I’m a mother, a Black mother, a Black educator. During the interview with our previous employee, and continued employment, the staff never presented behaviors to this child or others in her care that would warrant us to assume that she would harm a child. When we hire staff, we cannot predict that there may be a day that they’ll decide to abuse a child.”
The LASD urged anyone with information about the case to call them at 877-710-5273 or contact specialvictimsbureau@lasd.org. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.