A Little Canada man is accused of severely injuring his newborn son after repeatedly punching the crying 4-week-old in the face, authorities say.

Johnny Taylor, 23, was charged this week with first-degree assault, according to the criminal complaint filed against him in Ramsey County District Court.

Taylor and his girlfriend were at their apartment in Little Canada on Sunday morning when Taylor reportedly became upset over the relentless crying of their newborn son, the woman told police, charges say.

Frustrated, he picked the child up out of his crib and hit him in the face two to three times with a closed fist, according to the woman’s account to investigators, the complaint said.

Then he started shaking the baby until the woman said she pleaded with him to stop. according to the complaint.

Once Taylor fell asleep, his girlfriend took their baby and some belongings and left to stay with her mother.

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After man sentenced to 40 years in St. Paul murder, courthouse locked down and shots fired nearby The child’s grandmother discovered discoloration and extensive bruising on the baby’s face after Taylor showed up at her home and said he had “put hands on (his) son,” the complaint said.

His girlfriend told investigators that she didn’t tell her mother about what happened because she was scared of Taylor, charges say.

The baby was taken to the emergency room and eventually admitted to the neonatal intensive-care unit at Children’s Hospital.

Doctors diagnosed the newborn with extensive bruising to his face and body, bleeding inside his skull, a potential brain injury, and at least two broken ribs.

The “severely abused infant” could have died from his injuries, the complaint said.

In an interview with investigators, Taylor denied punching or shaking his son. He said he and his girlfriend had been arguing while he was holding the newborn and that each started slapping the other, legal documents say.

During the altercation, Taylor said, he accidentally slapped the child, and he said that he thought the baby’s head might have hit against a wall during the incident.

No attorney was listed for Taylor in court records.

His next court appearance will be in early December.