WACO, Texas — Most kids look up to their fathers as protectors. For one 11-year-old girl in Central Texas, that trust was shattered on a single summer afternoon.
Christopher Alaman now faces child endangerment charges after police say he drove drunk with his young daughter in the car — and then pulled a knife on strangers at a public park while she watched.
A Scared Little Girl in the Backseat
According to an arrest affidavit, Alaman’s daughter told investigators she was frightened during the drive to Waco.
Her father, she said, was drinking alcohol and swerving across the road the entire time.
Alaman later admitted to police that he drank a beer while driving. But he denied being intoxicated.
Things Turned Violent at the Park
Once they arrived at Cameron Park on June 29, the situation got worse.
Alaman got into a confrontation with multiple groups at the park. Witnesses told police he was acting aggressively and used racial slurs — which they say sparked the physical fight.
When the fight broke out, Alaman pulled a knife.
He told police he drew it in self-defense after being jumped by a group. But witness accounts painted a different picture — one where Alaman was the aggressor from the start.
A Father Facing Serious Consequences
Waco police detectives opened the investigation after learning Alaman’s daughter was injured during the incident. He was initially arrested at the park for public intoxication.
He was later booked into McLennan County Jail on charges of abandoning or endangering a child.
As of now, Alaman is out on bond.
His daughter, who sat through a drunk and swerving car ride and then watched her father pull a knife on strangers, is the one left to process what happened that day.
What do you think — is the current charge enough for what this child witnessed? Share your thoughts in the comments.