A horrific video of a professional athlete beating his girlfriend has been released.

Content note: This article contains a video of a domestic violence situation. 

It’s likely Danry Vasquez wasn’t aware the Pennsylvania stadium stairwell he was travelling down with his girlfriend in 2016 had camera surveillance.

If cameras had never been installed there, the wider world would never have known the despicable violence the 24-year-old is capable of.

The professional baseball player, born in Venezuela but based in America, was leaving his team’s home stadium and considered it a suitable time and place (as if such a thing exists) to send his fists into the woman’s face, before dragging her down the stairs by her hair.

Chillingly, after each blow, Vasquez places the woman’s glasses back on her head. On one occasion, he reaches down to pick up the handbag she’s dropped after another hit.

In the video – which has been made public this week by the Corpus Christi police department after the domestic violence case against Vasquez was dismissed – the unnamed woman cowers at the athlete’s presence.

You can watch footage of the incident below:

At the time of the assault, Vasquez was contracted by the Corpus Christi Hooks, a minor league affiliate of American Major League Baseball franchise the Houston Astros. He was cut from the team in August 2016 after he was charged.

Despite the incident being reported in the media, Vasquez was then picked up by the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Following the video’s release they have severed ties with the player.

“There is no choice but to sever the relationship,” the team’s manager, Ross Peeples, told local media station KRIS TV. “Neither I, nor the Barnstormers’ organisation as a whole, can condone or associate with that behaviour.”

While attorneys at Nueces County District Attorney, in Texas, wanted to see Vasquez hit with adequate punishment for the assault, prosecutors had their hands tied when the victim chose to not cooperate, and requested the charges be dropped.

Instead, Vasquez was forced to participate in anger management courses, which he has since completed.

“He had done everything we asked him to do so I was forced to dismiss the case,” Nueces County District Attorney Mark Gonzalez said.

If you or a loved one is in a domestic violence situation, help and support is available at 1800 RESPECT.