Two Blaine day care providers have been criminally charged after surveillance footage allegedly showed them roughly handling infants.

The Blaine Police Department says it opened an investigation into Small World Learning Center on Tuesday after Minneapolis Children’s Hospital flagged suspicious bruising on the thighs of a 5-month-old infant.

Day care providers interviewed by Blaine police investigators at first said the bruising could have been caused by a swing. But a review of surveillance video revealed aggressive behavior by two day care employees — 22-year-old Elizabeth Wiemerslage of Coon Rapids and 24-year-old Chloe Johnson of Andover.

The footage showed Wiemerslage and Johnson roughly handling the injured infant and two others. According to police, Johnson is seen grabbing the first child by her upper thighs, hips and groin and “violently flips” her on her back and face while Wiemerslage is present.

Johnson is seen handling a second child, placing a cloth against their mouth and nose. She then holds the child by the neck, pulls them by the arm and shoves a bottle in and out of their mouth, police said. Wiemerslage is also shown on video slamming the second child onto a pillow. Wiemerslage is later seen thrusting a third child onto a changing table.

The child whose injuries prompted the investigation suffered bruising in nine different areas, and the injuries were found to be consistent with gripping or squeezing, a criminal complaint states.

The two other children underwent medical examinations, and one was found to have an old leg fracture which may have occurred two weeks earlier.

Blaine Police Chief Brian Podany said the victims are “helpless and can’t speak for themselves.” He added that this case is different from other alleged child abuse cases his department has investigated.

“Any time we have a case like this it’s disturbing, but when you have something where you have two different suspects that are doing this in the midst of each other is very concerning. It’s appalling, really,” he said.

Johnson and Wiemerslage each face felony and misdemeanor charges of malicious punishment of a child and one count of third-degree assault of a victim under 4 years old. They were taken into custody at the Anoka County Jail and have been released on $75,000 bail.

Small World Learning Center sent 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the following statement:

“We as a company do not condone the acts of the two individuals involved in the incident. The two teachers in question were terminated immediately and indefinitely. We are remaining open to continue supporting our families who rely on us for care and stability during this difficult time. We want to remind everyone that in the 24 years the Small World Learning Center organization has been open, that this is the first time something of this nature has happened. We have a team of fully dedicated teachers who love what they do and are here for the safety and well being of the children in their care. We are cooperating with the Blaine Police Department and DHS to locate any weaknesses in our policies and procedures to ensure this does not happen again.“