FLORIDA – Daytona Beach police have arrested 31-year-old Brandon Gilmore following a disturbing incident at the Sandalwood Resort on Saturday evening. According to authorities, Gilmore allegedly dropped a young boy head-first from a second-story balcony in what he claimed was an attempt to “scare him a little bit.”
Witnesses at the resort dialed 911 shortly before 8 p.m. after seeing Gilmore hold the child by his feet over the balcony railing and then release him. The child, whose mother had entrusted him to Gilmore briefly, screamed as he hit the ground below. Quick-thinking guests rushed to aid the injured boy while others alerted his mother.
The boy’s mother had met Gilmore earlier that day at the hotel pool and left her son in his care while she took a shower. Surveillance footage corroborates witness accounts of the incident, according to police reports.
Paramedics swiftly transported the injured child to the hospital where he was treated for head injuries and assessed for potential internal injuries. Authorities have not disclosed the current condition of the child.
Following questioning by detectives, Gilmore admitted to intentionally dropping the boy off the balcony as a means of frightening him. He has been charged with aggravated child abuse and is being held at Volusia County Jail without bail.
The Department of Children and Families has also intervened in the case, conducting its own investigation into the incident at the resort.
