Man Arrested, Accused Of Trying To Flush Baby Down A Toilet
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A man has been arrested after attempting to flush an infant down a toilet when a domestic dispute led to a SWAT situation in Mount Washington.
Police say a man and woman were arguing at a home in the 100 block of Southern Avenue around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.
According to police, there was a fight between 31-year-old Dennis Gateley and others in the home to get the baby out of his arms. Punches were thrown, the family dog bit several people and the child's head hit a wall.
That's when police said Gateley went into the bathroom and shoved the infant's head into the toilet in an attempt to drown him.
One witness told police that she saw Gateley throw the baby's crib down the stairs after the family. The witness said he pointed at them and said, "I'm going to kill them" before going into the bedroom where he kept his guns.
Family members eventually rescued the child and ran outside to safety. Gateley, who had pulled out a gun, stayed inside and SWAT officers were called.
The mother and child were both checked by paramedics. The child was taken to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh as a precaution. The infant did receive X-rays, but the results aren't known at this time.
Pittsburgh Public Safety Spokeswoman Sonya Toler says negotiators helped bring the incident to a peaceful end.
"Our negotiators worked hard to convince the actor to come out and surrender, which he did eventually. There was no deployment of gas or anything like that," Toler said.
Gateley finally surrendered around 2:41 a.m.
After being taken to Allegheny General Hospital to be treated for a dog bite, he reportedly became irate with officers.
According to the criminal complaint he said, "Which one of you were hiding behind the car? I could have picked either one of you off at any time. I had the advantage, because I had the high ground."
Gateley is facing a list of charges including, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and firearms violations.
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