Calgary police investigate Twitch video that shows woman slap, bite child while playing Fortnite
CBC News has reached out to Twitch and the user who livestreamed the video but has yet to receive a response
- Read the Dec. 18, 2019, update: More charges could be laid as Twitch videos show Fortnite-playing Calgary parents berate, hit kids: police
Calgary police are investigating a video posted to live-streaming website Twitch that appears to show a woman slapping and biting a toddler.
The user's Twitch account, which the CBC is not naming to protect the identity of the child, appears to have been deleted, but a copy of the video was posted to Twitter on Monday.
That video shows a woman playing the video game Fortnite, as she repeatedly slaps and then bites a screaming toddler, seemingly frustrated with the child for distracting her from the game. The video then cuts to a few hours later, showing her roughly handling an infant before throwing the child onto the bed she's sitting on.
The timestamp on the video during the encounter with the toddler shows more than four hours had elapsed since the user began playing, and then during the encounter with the infant more than seven hours had elapsed.
CBC News has reached out to Twitch for comment.
The Twitter user who recorded and posted the clip confirmed to CBC News he reported the incident to CrimeStoppers, and said he was in contact with a partnered streamer at Twitch who reported the video and was told by Twitch that the account had been permanently banned.
Account located in Alberta
A source close to the investigation confirmed to CBC News that the Calgary police child abuse unit is investigating.
The woman's Twitter account promoting the video was still active. That account states the user is located in Alberta.
In a Twitch video posted on Sunday by an account identified as the woman's husband, you can hear two women talking in the background.
"They're gonna think I've abused him though," one woman says.
"Oh my goodness what did he do?" the other woman asks.
"He was climbing up in the closet," the first woman says.
Approximately six hours and 45 minutes into that video, a child can be heard loudly crying and whining in the background as a woman repeatedly says "go to sleep."
CBC News has reached out to both the woman and her husband and has yet to receive a response.
This wouldn't be the first time police have become involved after seemingly abusive content was captured on a Fortnite livestream.
Earlier this year, a popular Australian streamer pleaded guilty to assaulting his pregnant partner after the incident was shown to thousands of viewers on his livestream.