San Diego mother arrested after video showing her 6-month-old child being hit on the head goes viral

A San Diego mother was arrested after a video emerged showing her six-month-old child being hit multiple times on the head. Although the video clip, posted on Facebook, does not show the person hitting the baby, police suspect it was the mother.

The Facebook post also had a couple of screenshots of the accused mother's conversation with a friend in which she is expressing her desire to kill herself as the other person tries to talk her out, reminding her of the baby.

Jowi Morales was reportedly arrested on Thursday (30 November) after police received several calls from people who had seen the social media post and were concerned for the child's safety, American Broadcasting Corporation's KGTV reported.

The video went viral and received around 120,000 views since it was uploaded on Thursday.

Morales, 18, claimed that the video was shot about four weeks ago and it was not her slapping her child on the head. Police are investigating the case and the allegations of child abuse against Morales.

While police were searching for Morales to arrest her based on the multiple complaints, the 18-year-old mother told a KGTV reporter on Facebook that "people are sending me threats". When the reporter had asked if the child was alright, she replied that the baby was "fine as far as I'm concerned".

The reporter also asked Morales about the video, asking if she was the one hitting the child, to which she replied, "Nopes". However, when the reporter prodded further to know whose hands are seen in the video, the mother sent a thumbs up and stopped responding to the chat.

Morales had also declined to turn herself in when the reporter suggested so. "And arrest me? I'd rather not go to jail," she reportedly wrote.

The San Diego police said that Morales was arrested on an outstanding domestic violence warrant and was bailed out the same day on a $50,000 (£37113.00) fine. No charges were levelled against her as the investigation was underway.