Tyjuan Hassell, 22, allegedly hurled boiling water onto a teen’s face while the victim slept inside a Tennessee apartment, leaving him with third-degree burns.
Shelby County court records show that authorities charged Hassell with aggravated assault in connection with the incident. The Shelby County Jail is holding him on $100,000 bond.
On Sept. 2, Hassell was inside an apartment on Foote Lane in Memphis, not far from the city’s downtown area. A 14-year-old boy was inside the same residence, next door to where his grandmother lived.
According to an affidavit of complaint, the boy told his grandmother he was “hanging out” at the other apartment when he fell asleep on a couch. As he slept, “Zach” — as the boy referred to him — “threw boiling hot water on his face.”
The boy ran to his grandmother’s apartment, and authorities were called. Officers with the Memphis Police Department responded, and the grandmother told them that her grandson had said “he was attacked” by a man next door.
The boy gave officers a description “of the person responsible” and later reportedly identified Hassell as the alleged culprit. The court document does not state a possible motive.
Firefighters with the Memphis Fire Department arrived and treated the teen for third-degree burns. They then brought him to a nearby children’s hospital, “where he was listed in critical condition,” the affidavit states. His current condition remains unclear.
Authorities arrested Hassell and booked him into jail. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday and to appear in court again on Monday.
Leave a Reply