A man in New Mexico is facing serious criminal charges after he allegedly assaulted a young girl with a beer bottle inside a packed restaurant.
Adult attacks young child with beer bottle
Authorities say 24-year-old Nichalas San Souci was indicted by a grand jury in Bernalillo County last week on multiple felony counts following a disturbing incident at a local dining establishment.
According to officials, the alleged attack took place on April 25, 2025, at Saggios, a restaurant in Albuquerque.
The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office reported that San Souci allegedly struck an 8-year-old girl in the head with a glass beer bottle and then used the broken glass to slash her neck.
Prosecutors noted that the child was seriously wounded and required 19 stitches to treat her injuries.
Authorities confirmed that San Souci and the child were total strangers before the incident. The attack occurred while the young girl was admiring a decorative waterfall inside the restaurant.
According to statements from prosecutors, “San Souci hit the child over the head with a beer bottle then sliced her neck with the broken bottle.”
The girl’s father, Britton Rose, told KOAT about how the incident happened after he arrived at the restaurant with his family and was told there was a long wait to be seated.
While they waited, he said his wife and daughter decided to explore the restaurant’s interior art and decorations.
“That’s when I heard my wife from across the restaurant yelling, ‘No, no, stop,'” Rose told the station. “And then I knew something was going on with my family.”
Rose said he found his daughter drenched and visibly shaken. She told him someone had come up from behind her and smashed a beer bottle on her head.
Beer bottle attacker pulls knife
According to court records obtained by KOAT, San Souci did not stop there. After the initial blow, he allegedly continued to use the shattered bottle to stab and slash the young victim.
When questioned by police, San Souci reportedly said he committed the atrocious act because the girl “got in my way.”
Rose reported that San Souci then produced another weapon following the attack on his daughter.
“Later, after our original altercation, he did stand back up, and he pulled out a knife,” he recalled.
“Which at first I maybe thought he was going to use against me, but quickly I could tell that his intention diverted, and he was looking back over towards my daughter,” Rose added. “So I wanted to make sure that I could get in between him and her.”
District Attorney Sam Bregman described the incident as extremely disturbing and noted the severity of the charges San Souci is now facing.
“The individual was indicted for first-degree child abuse, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon,” Bregman said.
“He’s facing 22 and a half years. If he’s convicted of that child abuse, that is mandatory 18 years.”
San Souci is currently being held without bond at the Bernalillo County Jail on charges of abuse of a child resulting in great bodily harm, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Elderly man slashes child’s throat at park
In a similar case last year, a 73-year-old Detroit man was taken into custody after he allegedly slashed the throat of a 7-year-old girl at a public park.
Gary Lansky was arrested following the alleged assault at Ryan Park in Detroit and now faces charges including assault with intent to murder and felonious assault.
The young victim, Saida Mashra, had been playing with friends when Lansky reportedly approached her and used a knife to cut her throat before fleeing the area.
Responding officers arrived at a nearby residence around 3:45 p.m. and located the injured child, who was transported to a hospital for treatment. Authorities said she received 20 stitches and was released the same day.
Lansky appeared before the 36th District Court and was initially granted bond set at $2 million, along with house arrest and GPS monitoring in October.
However, a judge later determined the bond was insufficient and ordered that Lansky be remanded without bail.
Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Lisa Coyle noted during court proceedings that Lansky struggles with serious mental health conditions, including psychosis and depression.
She also revealed that the day after the incident, Lansky told his sister he believed he had killed the young girl.
In addition, Coyle stated Lansky had a history of violence, including allegedly stabbing his wife and her sister in a separate incident earlier the same month as the assault.
She said the attack occurred after they refused to let him into their residence.
Lansky also allegedly attempted to strangle his wife on April 12, although no charges have yet been filed in that incident.
In January, Lansky appeared via Zoom for what was supposed to be a competency hearing to assess his mental fitness for trial.
Instead, he waived his preliminary examination, and the matter was referred to circuit court for further proceedings.
