6-year-old beaten and declared brain dead in Bridgeport attack: report

BRIDGEPORT, CT – The family of 6-year-old Jathan Escobar is asking for prayers for his recovery after he, his mother and 4-year-old brother were beaten in an attack in Bridgeport last week, WFSB-TV Channel 3 reports.

Bridgeport resident Abdulrahim Sulaiman, 38, the children’s stepfather, was arrested on attempted murder charges in connection with the attack.

He is reportedly accused of using a baseball bat in the beating.

Members of Jathan’s family told WFSB that he has been declared brain dead and is on a ventilator. His mother and brother have been released from the hospital, the Connecticut Post reported.

Jathan was “always so happy with everyone,” his cousin Sasha Heron told WFSB. They pray for a miracle that he can recover.

At his arraignment hearing last week in Bridgeport Superior Court, Sulaiman reportedly spit on marshals and fought with them, requiring a gauze spit bag to be placed over his head at one point. He is being held in lieu of $11 million bail.

Sulaiman reportedly has a violent history and recently smoked PCP, his wife told authorities.