Russian tourist arrested in Florida for abusing 2-year-old child
A 37-year-old Russian national, Andrey Sevastyanov, has been arrested in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida. He was detained on charges of abusing his two-year-old daughter. The details of the case are written CBS News и Local10.
Photo: Lori Froeb | Dreamstime.com
The investigation began after an anonymous tip-off alerted police to the abuse and suggested they review surveillance footage from the La Perla complex at 16699 Collins Avenue. A front desk employee who received the tip called authorities. After reviewing several videos, police found shocking footage of Sevastyanov abusing his daughter.
"Basically, a two-and-a-half-year-old child was being dragged around by her father. He was pulling her hair, tugging her arm, kicking her, dropping her — things that you wouldn't think would happen to a child, especially from someone she trusted the most," Sunny Isles Beach Police Sergeant Brian Schnell said at a news conference.
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The incident began in the pool area where Sevastyanov was with his daughter. The footage shows him wrapping a towel around the girl's neck and apparently tightening it. The child waves her arms while her father clutches the towel, after which he lets go, turns her to face him, grabs her by the hair and slams her head into his shoulder.
Next, as seen in the footage, Sevastyanov heads into the lobby carrying the girl in his arms. As he walks through the door, he drops the child from chest height, hitting her with his knee, causing her to fall to the floor. The man then kicks the child in the head, picks her up by the hair, and heads for the elevator. Along the way, the girl falls again, and Sevastyanov, according to police, shakes her violently, causing the child's head to jerk back and forth.
While waiting for the elevator, he wraps the child tightly in a towel, whose legs twitch, and throws her over his shoulder. Then the hapless father steps back to the wall, presses the girl with his back to it, sharply turns her around in front of him and drops her on the floor again. After that, the father and daughter disappear from the frame.
"These videos make you angry at someone who would treat a defenseless child like that. I've seen dogs treated like that, and it's outrageous. But how can someone treat an innocent child like that? It's incomprehensible," Schnell said.
Police found Sevastyanov in his apartment, but when they tried to arrest him, he resisted, hitting one of the officers in the chest with his elbow. He was arrested on charges of child abuse causing serious bodily harm, torture, and resisting arrest with violence.
During questioning, Sevastyanov, through an interpreter, said his daughter was “hysterical,” “disobeying,” and “behaving badly.” He claimed he wrapped her in a towel because of the wind, and when she fell, “she wanted to be put down.” He acknowledged that he “understands how it looks from the outside,” called the incident a “mistake,” and assured that “this will not happen again.” However, according to Schnell, he did not explain why he acted so cruelly, and the video “shows the whole picture.”
On May 21, 2025, Sevastyanov appeared before Miami-Dade County Judge Mindy Glazer. The judge found probable cause for his arrest and ordered him held without bail at the Turner Guilford Knight Detention Center. He was barred from contacting his daughter but was allowed to enter his apartment to collect his belongings.
Through an interpreter, Sevastyanov said he and his family were tourists and had a flight scheduled for June 12. The next court hearing is scheduled for Thursday, May 22. Police confirmed that they had not been called to the family's apartment before, making the incident even more unexpected.
The girl was taken by Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue to Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, for evaluation and treatment. She was accompanied by her mother. Hospital officials declined to comment due to the ongoing investigation, and there is no immediate information on the child's condition.
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“What he did was beyond the pale,” Schnell said, calling Sevastyanov’s behavior “incomprehensible.” The case has rocked the Sunny Isles Beach community and raised questions about the role of surveillance in preventing violence, as an anonymous tip and swift police response saved the child from further harm.
The investigation is ongoing. Authorities urge anyone with additional information to contact Sunny Isles Beach police.
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