A tragic incident occurred when a 41-year-old barber from California reacted with extreme anger towards a 6-year-old child he was babysitting. The child had an accident at the park, which led to a horrifying outcome as the barber resorted to torturing and beating the boy with a large piece of raw lumber, resulting in his untimely death.
Ernest Lamar Love is currently facing serious charges in connection with the tragic death of Chance Crawford in Placentia, which is located approximately 35 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has reported that Chance’s mother brought him to Love’s barbershop at around 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 29, before starting her overnight shift as a nurse’s assistant at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Approximately seven hours later, Love allegedly arrived at Children’s Hospital of Orange County with a severely injured and barely conscious Chance.
“Doctors at CHOC discovered that much of Chance’s flesh was missing from his buttocks, leaving raw, gaping wounds, along with subdural hematoma, extreme brain swelling, and other injuries consistent with violent shaking,” prosecutors said in a press release.
Chance was in a critical condition at the hospital before passing away on Tuesday.
A video recording captured the reported incident of physical assault. Prosecutors stated that Love entered the barbershop with a sizable piece of raw lumber, while Chance followed him hesitantly.
“Love is accused of beating the first grader with the piece of lumber, then pouring hydrogen peroxide on the open wounds” before forcing the boy to do push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks, the press release said.
Instead of immediately contacting emergency services, he decided to personally transport Chance to the hospital when the boy suddenly collapsed. Love could potentially face a sentence of 32 years to life in prison if found guilty. He is currently being held at the Orange County Jail without the possibility of bond.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer expressed his commitment to ensuring justice for Chance in a recent statement.
“While his new classmates were celebrating the end of the first week of first grade, Chance’s seat in his classroom was empty as he fought for his life in a hospital bed,” he said. “Words do not exist to describe the absolute terror this little boy was forced to endure — all at the hands of someone who was supposed to be protecting him, not torturing him to death.”
Two GoFundMe campaigns initiated by loved ones paint a heartwarming picture of Chance, a delightful young boy who adored watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Sesame Street, and had an infectious smile.
“He was smart, inquisitive, and a great artist. Chance started drawing pictures of his favorite character Mickey Mouse and they looked like they came from a Disney movie,” the fundraiser said. “He was a gifted child and had so much life to live. We’re devastated by the loss of our beautiful, sweet, kind, bright and shining star. This pain is horrible and our family will never recover from the loss. A sweet little boy was taken from us too soon.”
Love has entered a not-guilty plea.