4-year-old injured in stabbing attack, Georgia police say. Now, his uncle is charged
A 19-year-old Atlanta-area man is accused of stabbing his nephew in what police say may have been drug related incident.
Officers arrived around 8 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, at a home in Lawrenceville, Georgia, where they found a 4-year-old child “with a stab wound to his abdomen,” Gwinnett County police said in a news release.
Anatolii Balesta, identified as the child’s uncle, was still inside the house when authorities arrived and was later arrested in connection with the attack. Police are now working to determine what led to the stabbing.
“Detectives believe narcotics to be the reason for the attack, but the investigation is ongoing,” police said in a news release.
The child, who authorities haven’t identified, was taken to a hospital in stable condition and is expected to be OK, according to authorities.
Balesta was charged with aggravated assault and first-degree child cruelty, police said. He remained in the Gwinnett County Jail without bond as of Monday, Sept. 26, online records show.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Gwinnett County police detectives at 770-513-5300, or contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477).
Lawrenceville is about 30 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published September 26, 2022 at 12:56 PM with the headline "4-year-old injured in stabbing attack, Georgia police say. Now, his uncle is charged."