Florida Man Kidnaps 1-Year-Old Son, Uses Him As Human Shield During Standoff With Police

A Florida man, accused of kidnapping his 1-year-old baby, used the toddler as a human shield during a standoff with the police.

Brandon Leohner, 27, allegedly abducted the toddler at gunpoint from his girlfriend's home in Palm Coast on Sept. 27, Flagler County Sheriff's Office said, WFLA reported.

After receiving the kidnapping report, deputies located Leohner, with the toddler in his lap, driving recklessly and speeding along a parkway in the neighborhood. As the deputies attempted to pull him over, Leohner refused to stop and fled onto State Road 100, the agency added.

He drove into a Target shopping center's parking lot and then went to a McDonald's drive-thru. He stopped and exited the vehicle with the toddler in his arms, the sheriff's office said.

According to a body cam video accessed by New York Post, Loehner can be seen surrounded by deputies, including a K-9 unit, as they called on him to surrender. During the apprehensive confrontation, he was seen using the child as a human shield.

"Put the baby down!" deputies told Leohner.

After a brief stalemate, one of the deputies shot Loehner with a taser and he fell to the ground. Another officer immediately caught the child and comforted him.

"It's okay!" the deputy was heard telling the toddler, who appeared to be reaching out for his father.

Despite being tased, Leohner continued to resist the deputies and tried to run away before he was taken down with the assistance of the police dog.

"Here is a case of a domestic situation turning violent, putting a 1-year-old child and innocent drivers in danger," Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly told WFLA. "Deputies were confronted with a very chaotic situation and a very combative individual that was putting his child at risk by using the child as a shield. Our deputies did everything they could to quickly rescue this child safely from a madman and apprehend the suspect."

The child was unharmed and safely returned to his mother. Loehner was later taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries due to the police dog's bite.

He was charged with kidnapping, using a minor as a shield, resisting with violence, child neglect, fleeing and eluding, and reckless driving. He was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility.