Police: Cleveland boy, 5, dies after mother beat him

CLEVELAND (AP) — Police in Cleveland say a 5-year-old boy has died after his mother beat him after his attempt to get her attention by pulling on her dress.

Arshon Baker died one day after being hospitalized with head injuries and cuts, bruises and burns over his body.

Police arrested the boy’s 24-year-old mother and held her on suspicion of felonious assault. The Cleveland city jail had no record of an attorney for her; a message was left with an attorney who represented her in a previous, unrelated criminal case.

Police Lt. Thomas Stacho says the mother told police she began beating the boy Friday with a brush and belt after he interrupted her while she was doing another woman’s hair.

Stacho says the boy eventually went limp after hitting his head on a table when he ran away.

Stacho says staff at Cleveland’s MetroHealth Medical Center found scars from previous beatings with an extension cord.