Baby Suffers Skull Fracture After Police Tackle Dad Carrying Infant [Video]

A member of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) tackled a local father who was carrying his infant son during a police chase, which may have resulted in the child suffering a "small" skull fracture, the department announced.

Police were completing a traffic stop in the area of Long Beach Avenue and East 55th Street on the night of Feb. 11 when they encountered a silver Jeep Wrangler with tinted windows "driving erratically,” Captain Stacy Spell, commanding officer of LAPD's media relations division, said in a video.

The vehicle, which was driven by a man later identified as 25-year-old Josue Huerta, accelerated and collided with a large flatbed truck after officers drove toward it, according to Spell.

It accelerated again as authorities attempted to approach the site of the incident, which prompted police to initiate a pursuit.

Huerta dismounted from his vehicle 11 minutes into the chase in front of a residential area while holding his 10-month-old baby, police said.

An officer was later able to tackle Huerta, who apologized to police as he fell to the ground and said he was "just taking [his baby] home," footage of the incident showed.

However, police were unaware that Huerta was carrying his child, NBC 4 Southern California reported.

"Are you kidding me?" an officer was heard saying in the body camera footage.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department treated Huerta at the scene. He sustained no injuries, according to Spell.

Investigators discovered narcotics, three unloaded nine-millimeter gun magazines and a "large" amount of cash at the scene, which were all booked as evidence.

Meanwhile, Huerta's infant child was taken to a local hospital and treated for a "small" skull fracture on the right side of his head.

The baby was admitted to the hospital and underwent further testing after he also tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl. He was later released to his mother, who was not named.

The cause of the child's injury has not been determined, but it is being investigated as a categorical use of force incident "because the force used cannot be ruled out as the cause of the injury," Spell explained.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office filed one count each of felonies child abuse, evading and possession of narcotics for sale as well as one count of misdemeanor hit and run against Huerta on Feb. 15.

The LAPD will continue to investigate and analyze the incident in the next several months, according to Spell.

"We will continue interviewing new witnesses that may come forward and complete any forensic tests," the police captain said.

The civilian Board of Police Commissioners will evaluate the evidence after the investigation and determine whether the tactics and use of force executed by the officer who tackled Huerta "met the high standards expected of all LAPD officers," Spell added.