Charges: Mpls. man assaulted toddler

Minneapolis police say a 21-year-old man has been charged after allegedly assaulting and seriously injuring an infant at a north Minneapolis home last month.

Sgt. Stephen McCarty said officers were called to the home after a 21-month-old girl was reportedly not breathing. He said medical personnel noticed bruises on the baby's face and marks on her neck.

McCarty says the man suspected of assaulting the baby is Eric Paul Boone, the boyfriend of the infant's mother. He said Boone later admitted to throwing the baby on a bed. McCarty said doctors at Children's Hospital believe the child may be paralyzed.

"Doctors at Children's determined there was some sort of spinal cord injury that probably resulted from this victim being thrown on top of a bed," McCarty said.

Boone was charged on Friday. He is being held in Hennepin County Jail. Boone was convicted in May of this year of disorderly conduct/brawling or fighting, which is a petty misdemeanor. McCarty said it's possible that other people in the house at the time the infant was injured may face charges as well.

Three days after the incident, police investigators got a search warrant for the home on Logan Avenue North. According to the warrant, the address had been the site of previous drug raids.