A man is in police custody after video showed him allegedly using his one-year-old child as a shield in a recent law enforcement incident in Flagler County, Florida.
According to arrest records, Brandon Matthew Douglas Leohner, 27, was arrested on September 27 on multiple charges including resisting an officer during an arrest, aggravated assault, child neglect, kidnapping and using a child as a human shield.
A shocking video of the incident released by law enforcement shows Leohner holding the baby to his chest as deputies from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office approached him.
According to a press release, the incident began around 6 p.m. when they received a call about a possible child abduction of a one-year-old.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office first responded to a call that described Leohner kidnapping the child with a handgun and then driving off with the boy on his lap.
A screenshot from the video shows Leohner holding his one-year-old child in front of him as lawmakers approach him with a K-9 and tasers ready
The man was charged with reckless driving, child abduction and other charges related to the incident
A short time later, deputies noticed a man driving recklessly, crashing into oncoming traffic and driving through the median.
Officers tried to stop the man, but he sped away from the scene, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
The 27-year-old eventually pulled into a McDonald’s parking lot and jumped out of his car with the one-year-old in his hands.
Bodycam footage shows Leohner holding the child close to his chest just outside the drive-thru window as at least three MPs approach him.
Leohner is accused of kidnapping his son from his mother’s home and driving recklessly, holding the child on his lap as he sped through traffic and evading arrest
One of the deputies seen in the film is holding a K-9 officer.
Police officers are repeatedly heard asking Lohner to put the child on the floor, which he doesn’t do.
“Put the baby down, put the kid down,” yells one MP.
Lohner continues to ignore law enforcement requests.
Just seconds before he was tasered, Leohner held his innocent one-year-old close to his chest
As one MP yells, “Now get on the ground,” the MP, whose bodycam footage was released, can be seen pulling out his taser and pointing it at the man.
The child, dressed only in a diaper and top, is held to the ground with one arm. Leohner continues to hold him in front of his chest and head to protect himself from deputies.
The deputy carrying the bodycam footage successfully tasers the man, bringing him to the ground just inches from a car in the drive-thru line.
The deputies rush in to take the child from Leohner’s arms as the baby cries “Dada”.
Photos from Brandon Leohner’s Facebook page show him with his one-year-old child before the attempted kidnapping and his arrest on September 27
The man somehow dodges the deputies and manages to run away before finally being knocked to the ground while still in the McDonald’s parking lot.
Video of the arrest ends with a K-9 biting the man as he yells for them to stop.
MPs respond to his request by telling him to stop resisting arrest.
“Our deputies did everything to quickly and safely save this child from a madman and arrest the suspect. Fortunately, the child was not injured and was quickly reunited with his mother,” said Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly.
The year-old was safely reunited with his mother and was not injured, officials said
“Here is a case of a domestic situation that turns violent, putting a one-year-old child and innocent drivers at risk. MPs were faced with a very chaotic situation and a very combative individual who put his child at risk by using the child as a shield.’
The 27-year-old was taken to a nearby hospital for his injuries and was later transferred to Sheriff Perry Hall inmate detention center.
Lohner is currently awaiting trial without bail.