Detroit Police Arrest Man Wanted For Assault On Woman, 3-Year-Old Boy

DETROIT (WWJ) - Detroit police have arrested a man accused of beating and choking a woman and her 3-year-old child at a home on the city's west side.

Lt. Franklin Hayes said 31-year-old Jesse Ruffin attacked the woman during an argument Friday morning. As she passed out, he attacked her young son.

Police said she saw Ruffin punching the little boy before she lost consciousness.

"We know that he has assaulted this woman before; we're currently looking into his past," Hayes said at a media briefing. "We're doing an extensive workup. Every investigative entity of the Detroit Police Department is committed to getting him off the streets."

Hayes was asked about a possible motive.

'There was a verbal argument. Mr. Ruffin, we found out, has an assaultive history, a combative history. And in those type of scenarios sometimes there is no reason. And we believe he is just that violent," Hayes said.

"(He's) a terrible person. To assault a 3-year-old child...heart-wrenching. He can't roam the streets of the city of Detroit committing heinous acts like that."

Both the mother and child remain hospitalized but are expected to recover.

Three other children believed to have witnessed the attack are also being checked out, although police do not believe that they were harmed.

Ruffin was taken into custody later Friday afternoon. Charges are pending.

The suspect is not the children's father, according to investigators. While they did not specify the relationship between Ruffin in the victim, police are calling this a domestic violence case.