Homeless man who brutally attacked 6-year-old had long criminal history, shouldn't have been on the streets

Police say the homeless man who brutally attacked a 6-year-old boy in Queens, New York, had a long criminal history and shouldn't have been on the streets at all.

The shocking attack occurred when 35-year-old Laurance Gendreau allegedly encountered two boys outside their grandfather's home, waiting for a pizza delivery to arrive.

He grabbed the younger boy and "body slammed" him to the ground, which resulted in grievous injuries to his head and face.

Gendreau was arrested and will likely be charged with assault and grand larceny.

Police say that the same man is suspected of stealing an iPad from an 86-year-old woman the day previous.

But he probably shouldn't have been on the streets at all.

That's because he had previously arrested for hitting a 76-year-old female with a chair at a nearby Popeyes restaurant. The judge in that case said he was not a flight risk and let him loose. The man then failed to appear for his court date and had a warrant out for his arrest.

That lapse of judgement might have led to a six-year-old boy suffering two skull fractures, bleeding in his brain, a concussion and a collapsed lung.

Here's a local news report about the attack:

NYPD: Homeless Man Accused Of Body-Slamming 6-Year-Old Boy, Fracturing His Skull And Collapsing Lungwww.youtube.com