Las Vegas man suspected of beating child unconscious

A Las Vegas man was arrested Friday in connection with a beating incident that may leave a child with brain damage.

Terhain Woods Jr., 25, faces charges of child abuse with substantial injury after a child in his care was found unresponsive and covered with bruises and scrapes, according to an arrest report from the Metropolitan Police Department.

A neighbor reported the incident to police after hearing someone striking the child with an object and yelling, according to the report. When police arrived at the address for a welfare check, they found Woods agitated. According to the report, Woods “became verbally combative” and swung at police.

The child’s doctor told police that the child may suffer from brain damage as a result of the injuries, but further tests are needed, according to the report.

When police tried to take Woods in for questioning after the doctor’s assessment, he kicked out the patrol car’s left rear window, according to the report. Police were unable to conduct an interview and booked Woods on a charge related to the car’s damage.

The child’s mother, 20-year-old Zjustyka Brooks, also was charged in connection with the incident. She is accused of having prior knowledge of abuse. She told police she feared retaliation from Woods if she filed a report.

Woods was arrested in January 2012 on multiple charges, including murder with a deadly weapon, in connection with the fatal shooting of Quincy Lavelle Hill, 31. He pleaded guilty to one count of carrying a concealed weapon and was ordered to complete 50 hours of community service, court records show.

Another man, Walter Clark, was convicted of Hill’s murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to court records.

Review-Journal writer Lawren Linehan contributed to this report. Contact Rachel Hershkovitz at rhershkovitz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @rzhershkovitz on Twitter.