The assault at Espada Park in San Antonio on April 18 left a 3-year-old girl injured and her mother hurt, after authorities say a 24-year-old man attacked them while they were walking. San Antonio police identified the suspect as Atharva Vyas, an Indian national, and said Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer after his arrest. The case has intensified scrutiny because the Department of Homeland Security says Vyas had previously been arrested on a felony assault charge months after entering the United States in 2023.
What police say happened in the assault
Police said Gabriella Perez, 27, was walking with her daughter, Amelia Perez, 3, when Vyas allegedly grabbed the mother by the hair and punched her, causing her to drop the child. Authorities said he then attacked the girl and bit her face. Witnesses restrained Vyas until officers arrived.
The child’s mother later described the scene as something “out of a zombie movie. ” Perez has since created a fundraising page, saying her daughter lost two teeth and has needed constant care, comfort, and reassurance. The page also says the child has been unable to return to daycare and cannot be left with anyone else, forcing Perez to take time away from work.
Charges, detention, and the federal response
Vyas was charged with injury to a child with intent to cause bodily injury, assault causing bodily injury, and illegal entry, authorities said. He was booked into the Bexar County Detention Center. DHS said ICE has lodged a detainer requesting that local authorities transfer him to federal custody after his criminal proceedings.
DHS said Vyas first entered the United States in August 2023 on a student visa. Three months later, he was arrested on the University of Texas campus on charges of felony assault, and university police contacted ICE. The department said the Biden administration determined that earlier case was not egregious enough to warrant visa revocation and took no enforcement action.
Immediate reactions from federal officials
Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis condemned that earlier decision not to revoke Vyas’ visa. “This criminal illegal alien brutally bit this child and caused her to lose two teeth. This barbaric assault against this woman and her 3-year-old in a park was completely preventable, ” she said.
Bis added, “The Biden administration never should have released this animal following his arrest for assault. We are working with our partners in Texas to ensure this criminal illegal alien never roams free in American communities again. ”
What the assault means next
The assault now moves into the criminal process in Bexar County, where the case will continue after Vyas’ booking. ICE’s detainer signals a separate federal custody request once local proceedings are complete, keeping the case under close watch. For Perez and her daughter, the immediate focus remains recovery, while the assault continues to drive attention toward the earlier arrest history DHS says did not lead to removal.
