SYRACUSE, NY— A man held his baby in one hand and a large kitchen knife in the other when police confronted him in a Brighton Avenue apartment Wednesday, police said.
Alexander Ortiz, 33, told officers they would have to kill him before he dropped the knife, Syracuse police spokesman Sgt. Thomas Blake said in a news release.
Officers were called around 12:17 p.m. to the apartment at 115 E. Brighton Ave. for a domestic dispute complaint, Blake said. There they found a 30-year-old woman who said she was assaulted by Ortiz, the father of her child.
Officers confronted Ortiz in the dining room and after several commands by police, Ortiz eventually let the baby go unharmed before retreating into a bedroom with the knife, Blake said.
Officers left the apartment and began negotiations with Ortiz, Blake said. Police tossed a cell phone up to the apartment to talk with him.
After about two hours Ortiz surrendered to police.
The mother and the baby were taken to Upstate University Hospital for evaluation, Blake said. The mother had minor injuries, he said.
Police charged Ortiz with:
- First-degree criminal contempt
- Second-degree criminal contempt
- Two counts of endangering the welfare of a child
- Second-degree harassment
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