A Tennessee man is facing a bevy of charges, including attempted murder, after he attacked the mother of his 3-week-old son, trying to throw her into a lit smoker, and choking the infant until he lost consciousness, police said.
Keotric Lyvell Tucker, 28, of Knoxville, is also charged with three counts of aggravated domestic assault, two counts of domestic assault and abuse/neglect/endangerment of a child 8 years old or under, according to Knox County Jail records. His bail amount was set at a total of $115,000 on all charges.
WBIR in Knoxville reported that Tucker showed up unannounced at the woman's home late Saturday night and told her he wanted their son. She refused, telling him she was changing the boy's diaper, according to a police report obtained by the news.
Tucker is accused of grabbing her by the throat and choking her on the bed.
The news station reported that Tucker grabbed the baby and started to leave, but the woman ran after him. As she did so, Tucker is accused of handing the baby to his 7-year-old child, grabbing the woman by the neck and slamming her against the hood of a vehicle, police said.
According to the police report, Tucker began dragging the woman around to the back of the home, punching her in the head as she tried to free herself, the news station said. Dragging her by her dreadlocks, he picked her up and tried several times to throw her into a large steel smoker that had a fire burning inside.
He told the woman he "wanted to see her burn," the police report said, according to WBIR. He tied her to the smoker by one of her locks and, during the scuffle, bit through the cartilage of her ear.
The news station reported the woman broke free and ran back to the front of the home to find her son. Tucker is accused of again slamming the woman against a vehicle and choking her.
WBIR reported that Tucker grabbed the infant from the woman and wrapped his arms around him so tightly that the screaming boy eventually went quiet and grew limp. An officer had to pry the baby from Tucker's arms, the news station said.
The newborn had bruising and redness on his abdomen and back. He was treated at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, WBIR reported.
The boy’s mother was also taken to the hospital for treatment of bruising and swelling to her head, as well as bleeding behind one of her eyes.
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