Man Arrested After Beating Child With Stick: Petaluma PD

PETALUMA, CA — A man is behind bars after police said he beat up a child, described only as a juvenile by officers, at a Petaluma gas station Tuesday. Cruz De Leon, 44, has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and child abuse, according to the Petaluma Police Department. This is his second arrest in just three days.

According to the department, on Tuesday around 12:28 p.m., police received several calls regarding two males fighting in the 7-Eleven parking lot on Petaluma Boulevard South.

One witness told 911 dispatch that "one of the involved subjects tried to kill the other subject," police said.

When officers arrived on scene, they said they found De Leon and the young victim sweating and out of breath. Police said the victim, a juvenile, told officers De Leon struck him multiple times with a wooden stick. He also told officers the attack was unprovoked and random.

"The victim was treated at the scene and released," the police department said in a news release.

Police arrested De Leon and booked him into the Sonoma County jail.

In addition to this incident, De Leon was reported on Aug. 7, 2021 for jumping into traffic with a golf club on Petaluma Boulevard North at Gossage. During the previous incident, police said De Leon was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance.