A woman from Sunny Isles Beach is now confronted with two serious charges of child abuse. Police claim that she was captured on doorbell camera footage throwing and kicking her 3-year-old son in the hallway of her condo building.
Authorities arrested 29-year-old Yulia Storozhuk on Tuesday following a neighbor’s report of the abuse on Monday.
The videos reveal Storozhuk shouting at the child and subjecting him to a severe beating inside her condo located in the 17000 block of North Bay Road. She claimed it was because he “wasn’t listening,” according to Sunny Isles Beach police.
“I observed redness on the victim’s right cheek and right forehead along with bruising on his right forearm and left knee,” the arresting officer stated. “Scratches were also observed on his stomach and on his back.”
The Sunny Isles Beach police Chief, Edward Santiago, expressed how frustrating it was to watch the clips.
“This is not gonna be tolerated, ever. Ever,” he said. “When I saw the video (I was) very angry and we’re not gonna tolerate this. There’s consequences and you’re gonna pay the consequences for this.”
The Florida Department of Children and Families is looking into the matter.
Using a Russian interpreter, Storozhuk informed the judge on Wednesday morning that she and her son arrived in South Florida recently to seek refuge from the conflict in Ukraine. She mentioned that she works as a flight attendant.
She expressed her deep affection for her child and offered an apology for her behavior.
“I am very sorry, I’m a single mom,” Storozhuk said in court. “It was the only time I let my emotions take better of me. And I never abused my child, this only happened once.”
The judge commanded Storozhuk to refrain from contacting her son.
She was detained in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with a $5,000 bond until her release on Wednesday evening. In tears, she was driven away from the jail in an SUV.
