A 32-year-old man was so enraged that his two sons were awake too late that he choked them until an uncle intervened, according to Tacoma police.
The man, who was believed to be drunk, was booked Tuesday into the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of assault of a child and resisting arrest.
Officers responded to an apartment in the 300 block of East Wright Avenue about 1:15 a.m. after neighbors a half block away reported hearing yelling and fighting.
When the officer walked upstairs, he saw two men trying to keep a third man from entering a bedroom. The officer ordered the men to put their hands on the wall.
Two of the men did, but the third man, later identified as the resident of the apartment and father of the two boys, was combative. He was eventually hit with a Taser and placed in handcuffs.
The earlier struggle had broken out after the man noticed two of his children – boys, ages 9 and 10 – were still awake, police said. He then began choking them. One of the other two men, both uncles of the children, pulled the father away. When the father later tried to return to the boys’ room, the uncles tried to stop him.
Police took the boys and two girls, ages 6 and 7, to a hospital to be checked out. Medical staff members reported possible signs of prior abuse, including infected rashes and bruising.
A fifth child, an 11-month-old boy, was taken from the home and placed with Child Protective Services.
The childen’s mother was out of town because of a death in the family, police spokeswoman Loretta Cool said.
stacia.glenn@thenewstribune.com
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.