Father faces charges in North Las Vegas crash that injured toddler

A 2-year old boy suffered multiple fractures and a brain bleed in a North Las Vegas crash after police said his father grabbed the steering wheel from the passenger seat and slammed the vehicle into a wall, according to a report released Tuesday.

A woman was driving the father of her son back to his home just after 4 a.m. on March 12 when the couple began to quarrel, according to an arrest report from the North Las Vegas Police Department.

The father, Maurice Troutman, was intoxicated and riding in the passenger seat while the baby was in the back, the report stated.

The woman told police Troutman was arguing with her as she drove past Simmons Street and West Gowan Road, where he grabbed the wheel, “pulling it downward,” detectives wrote in the report.

Police said the four-door Kia was found smashed through a gate and a wall. The woman said she and the baby lost consciousness, but the boy was breathing when he was taken to University Medical Center trauma center.

Medical staff told police the baby suffered an eye fracture, a femur fracture and a five centimeter intracranial hemorrhage, according to the arrest report.

The mother, Shannon Hawkins, was cited for not installing a car seat correctly, police said. She suffered several minor cuts in the crash.

A report from the Department of Child and Family Services indicated that the family had no history with Child Protective Services.

Troutman was arrested the day of the crash and charged with child abuse resulting in substantial bodily harm and two counts of disregard for safety.

He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing May 31.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.