San Antonio police: Man stuck jalapeño into boy's eye

SAN ANTONIO — Police arrested a man Thursday after he reportedly stuck a jalapeño pepper into the eye of a 9-year-old boy on the Northwest Side.

Michael Barron, 29, told the boy's mother about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday that he was going to shove a jalapeño pepper into the boy's mouth, said Sandy Gutierrez, spokeswoman for the San Antonio Police Department.

The mother warned Barron not to touch the child, Gutierrez said.

At that point, Barron reached over the table and “intentionally” stuck the pepper into the boy's left eye, Gutierrez said.

The mother pushed Barron away from the boy, who fell to the floor and grabbed his eye, crying in pain, Gutierrez said.

The boy's eye was swollen and irritated, Gutierrez said.

Officers were called to the scene.

“The mother was upset and crying and the boy seemed to be afraid,” Gutierrez said.

Barron was charged with injury to a child. He also was served with an outstanding failure to appear warrant connected to a check forgery charge. He was remanded without bail on that warrant.