Police: Dad chanted for prayers as he choked 19-month-old son (Frederick, Maryland)

Dad ALTON H. AMBUSH has been charged assault, child abuse, and reckless endangerment. Police say he was "chanting for prayers" and strangling his 19-month-old son as police forced their way into the house.

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=110219

Police: Man chanted for prayers as he choked son
Originally published September 22, 2010

By Nicholas C. Stern
News-Post Staff

A Frederick man who was charged in the attempted strangling of his 19-month-old son last week could be heard chanting for prayers as police burst in on him to get him to loosen his grip on the child, authorities said.

When Officer First Class Andrew Alcorn arrived about 5:25 p.m. Friday at a house in the 100 block of Fairfield Drive, he found Alton H. Ambush trying to barricade the door with his body and could hear the man repeating the phrase, "Pray, we just need to pray," his voice getting louder over the cries of the child who was being attacked, the Frederick Police Department reported.

Outside, the boy's mother and paternal grandmother had been screaming and crying, worried the baby's father would kill the child, according to court documents. Through the door, the officer could see Ambush's knuckles turning white as he squeezed the child with increasing force.

Ambush, 33, was charged on Friday with first-degree assault, second-degree child abuse, assault and child abuse, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest. He is being held at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center in lieu of $500,000 bail.

According to court documents, Alcorn forced his way into the house and saw Ambush with his left arm locked around the child and his right arm around the child's legs, holding onto his diaper. The officer tried to calm Ambush and have him hand over the child, but he refused and tightened his grip.

Alcorn tried to pry open Ambush's fingers, but his grip continued to tighten and Ambush began to rock back and forth, yelling at the police to get off him and repeating that, "We need to pray," police said.

The boy turned bright red and his cries intensified when other officers arrived, and they struggled with Ambush for about three to five minutes to get him to release the child, police said. One officer thought Ambush's grip would "snap (the child's) neck," according to court documents.
Officers struck Ambush and used a Taser on him, and Alcorn eventually pulled the boy away from him. At that point, the child was limp and pale and his lips were turning blue or purple, police said.

The boy's mother told officers Ambush had come to the house to play video games with a friend. About 10 minutes after he arrived, he went upstairs and into the bedroom, grabbed her and the child and pulled them close.

The woman told police Ambush asked if they loved him and said they all needed to pray about it.

Ambush was taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital for injuries suffered in the struggle and also received a psychological evaluation, said Sgt. Joseph Hayer.

The child was treated at the scene by emergency personnel. His mother declined to take him to the hospital.

A drug test of Ambush was negative except for marijuana, though he did not appear intoxicated, police said.