An Indiana man is facing multiple charges after an altercation with police. The whole situation was fraught from the beginning, when he showed up unannounced at his ex-girlfriend’s apartment. It was then that chaos ensued.
What started as a domestic incident ended with the SWAT team and a taser. Police made attempts at making the arrest peacefully, but the man had other plans, and they evidently included one of his ex-girlfriend’s kids.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Department posted about the incident on Facebook. “What began as an armed domestic incident escalated into a tense hostage situation for a woman with three young children,” on Wednesday, March 26. The incident took place in Gary, Indiana, in the early morning.
“Just before 5 a.m., a 25-year-old woman called 9-1-1 to report her ex was armed with a handgun inside her apartment and had threatened to shoot her and police,” the post reads. The woman informed police that she had a protective order against her ex-boyfriend.
Lake County 911 and police worked together to stay in contact with the mom during the hostage situation. Authorities decided they would send the local SWAT team to the woman’s residence. Eventually, the mom and two of her children, ages 2 and 4, were able to leave. They were given medical evaluations at the scene, but the mom refused additional treatment.
When the SWAT team entered the woman’s home, they allegedly found the man in the bathtub holding her 15-month-old child. The man was reportedly holding the toddler as a human shield. He allegedly resisted officers trying to arrest him. Because he allegedly resisted arrest, an officer used a taser to subdue him. He received a medical evaluation at the scene before police took him to Lake County Jail.
According to the sheriff’s department, the 31-year-old Indiana man is a convicted felon. He could be facing charges of criminal confinement, stalking, resisting, residential entry, neglect of a dependent, domestic battery in the presence of a child, and weapons violations. Police have not yet released the man’s name.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of domestic abuse, you can find help and support at DVIS.org, the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or by contacting your local women’s shelter domesticshelters.org.
