A man in Las Vegas, Nevada, was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly tossed his 2-month-old daughter from the balcony of his second-floor apartment, causing the child’s death. The suspect was later identified as 32-year-old Clarence Martin Jr. Police say he also set the apartment on fire after getting into an argument with his girlfriend, who is the infant’s mother, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Clark County coroner later identified the child as London Martin. The distraught mother was said to be holding her child in the parking lot when police arrived on the scene just before 4 a.m. that morning, according to authorities.
“My niece didn’t even have a Social Security number. My sister didn’t even have time to establish her in this world,” said the baby’s maternal aunt over the phone Monday. Ebonie Lemi started a GoFundMe to support her sister after losing her baby and home at once.
A Las Vegas man has been arrested after allegedly throwing his two-month-old daughter from a second-floor apartment balcony, resulting in her death.https://t.co/4gCJyTcLRm
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The cause of the dispute remains unclear. Martin Jr. fled from the scene in his car, crashing the vehicle twice, reports the newspaper. According to reports, he had first become involved in a hit-and-run just outside of the apartment and would later crash on the 215 Beltway close to McCarran International airport.
Martin then abandoned his car and was arrested later inside the airport. Police have charged Clarence Martin Jr. with first-degree murder, arson, and animal cruelty. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.