Easter Bunny injures baby at mall www.privateofficer.com

AUSTIN TX. March 23 2008 -- A man dressed as the Easter Bunny has been arrested for possibly injuring a child while taking pictures at Lakeline Mall, officials say.

Austin Police say around 1:00 p.m. on Friday, crowds of parents and children waiting in line for pictures with the man in a bunny suit witnessed the event.

Police say a 9-month-old boy taking a picture with the bunny became irritated with the photographer. Police say when the man dressed as a bunny put the child on the ground, the boy was somehow injured with a bruise to his forehead.

Whether the child was injured intentionally or accidentally is still under investigation.

Police say the baby's parents took him to the hospital. The baby was treated and released.Lakeline Mall security detained the man until Williamson County officials showed up.

The man was taken to the Williamson County Jail and was released at around 5:30 p.m.

The man was not charged with any crime."We don't want to charge someone without having all the facts," says Austin Police Sgt. Brian Loyd.Police say the Child Abuse Unit is still interviewing witnesses and collecting pictures of injuries and surveillance tapes.

Several other parents waiting in line for pictures say the child's mother was visibly upset."The stories are conflicted about what happened with the child," says Sgt. Loyd. "There are so many different reports.

I've heard that he pushed the child down, that he dropped the child, tripped with the child."Officials say that several people who witnessed the injury called police."I've been here 22 years, and I think this is the only time I've ever heard of anything like this involving a caricature," Sgt. Loyd says.

If you were at Lakeline Mall when the incident happened, police ask that you contact them.Lakeline Mall officials issued a statement saying they will cooperate with Austin Police during the investigation."We were dismayed at the events of this afternoon at the Easter photo set.

Our thoughts are with the child involved and his family," the statement says.

The man may face an Injury to a Child charge, which could be up to a second degree
felony.

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