A confrontation with police turned terrifyingly violent when a man grabbed his baby and used him as a shield.
The tense standoff in Palm Coast, Florida, was captured on police bodycam footage. The tough decision of taking the suspect into custody while not injuring him was faced by the deputies.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said that the alarming standoff started out as a domestic dispute. A father was accused of kidnapping his 1-year old son. Police chases ended at a McDonald’s drive thru window.
Police repeatedly told him to get down and lie down. So they put him on the ground and tased his neck. Staly claims it was “extremely difficult” to make sure they didn’t hit the baby.
“When you fire a taser, you’re sending out two prongs. Fortunately, one prong hit the suspect in the leg and the other one in his chest area, but away from the baby,”Staly stated.
Deputies rushed to the rescue of the baby and reassured him. Brandon Loehner, the suspect, was pursuing a police canine. As the little boy yelled for him to come, he crawled away. Loehner refused to give up, and the K-9 began to pull at his leg.
The baby was returned to his mother after Loehner was taken into police custody.
Loehner was treated after sustaining injuries from the police dogs. He was charged with reckless driving and kidnapping.