OP/ED Wild Domestic Violence Incident Involving Babies, Multiple On-Scene Witnesses Injured
Written by Trevor Montgomery
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The news is going to be backed up a bit today, as I just had to physically fight a guy off of a woman during (yet another) incredibly violent domestic violence incident involving a couple who live near my home.
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My wife Robin and I were alerted to the wild domestic violence incident occurring inside a van near our home just after 4:54 p.m. this evening. Our children, who advised us about the incident, told us the couple were involved in a violent confrontation inside the van and that there were two babies inside the van with the couple during the altercation.
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As we raced towards the incident and approached the vehicle, we could all see through the van’s windows that the couple was punching and grabbing at each other inside the van. We could also see there were two babies inside the van with the couple. One of the babies was buckled into a car seat but the other baby was loose and climbing around the van.
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Despite the close proximity of their babies, the couple continued to violently punch and strike at each other. The level of violence between the couple was truly terrifying. The couple was fighting so violently with each other, the entire van was rocking back and forth wildly.
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Robin, another family friend Aaron and I yanked open both passenger doors of the van and did our best to diffuse the situation and calm the couple down. Despite our efforts, the violence continued to escalate way too quickly to slow down what was already an out of control and worsening situation. Both the husband and wife got even more violent; screaming, punching and even kicking. All of this was occurring within inches of the two babies inside the cramped vehicle.
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Aaron, Robin and I begged and reasoned with the couple to calm down, if only for the sake of their children, who were both screaming in absolute terror. Suddenly the husband started to physically fight with the wife over the baby who was buckled into the car seat, even as the other baby climbed around the entire area where the violent incident was occurring.
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The husband began yanking and pulling violently on the baby and on the baby’s car seat, screaming that he was taking the baby from the wife. All of this was happening while the wife was violently trying to stop him from doing so. Aaron, Robin and I continued to try to reason with the couple to calm down.
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In spite of our efforts, the couple got even more violent and with the focus of their mutual combat now being their baby and with both babies in immediate danger of being seriously injured, Aaron and I knew we had to immediately act. At that point we physically dragged the husband out of the van, even as he and the wife continued to fight over the baby.
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Once we had the husband out of the van, he violently continued to fight with Aaron and I; as the he tried to regain access to his wife and children.
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With no other options available and after every other attempt to calm the situation had failed, I finally used my former training as a sheriff investigator to take the husband down to the ground, using a bar-arm-take down. The move caused all three of us to go crashing down to the ground.
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Once on the ground, the husband continued to violently resist our efforts to control him and keep him pinned on the ground while waiting for the arrival of police. As Aaron and I did our best to control the violently resisting husband, the wife completely turned her ferocious anger on us and began to punch Aaron and I repeatedly in the face, heads and backs, all while screaming and cursing at us. Robin, who served on the Riverside County Sheriff Department’s Mounted Posse, with help from our daughter Kaitlyn, finally had to physically subdue and restrain the wife.
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Hemet Police officers soon arrived and took control of the situation, first detaining both suspects and then checking on the safety of the two babies.
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After police handcuffed and detained the husband, I tried to stand up, at which time I realized I had dislocated my shoulder, injured my back and destroyed my prosthetic limb in the melee.
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My prosthesis was spewing hydraulic fluid all over the ground and the limb would no longer function properly. It turned out when I took the husband down to the ground, the violent impact caused my prosthetic limb to blow a pressure seal, destroying the hydraulic piston that operates the limb. Aaron also had dislocated his shoulder in the wild fracas.
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Paramedics and firefighters responded to the location to evaluate and treat all those involved in the incident.
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As of this report, officers are still on scene investigating the incident.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Great job, you two, and for your kids knowing to be so observing. And for telling a adult. It’s so sad, for parents to set a bad example, and experience, in front of the little ones. Yes words hurt, along with threats.
It could have been a lot of factors, true and maybe false. It looks like a love hate relationship, when she turned on you both. I prayed for the children safety, and they get some counseling.
And for a quick repair, for prosthesis, and good recovery for your injuries. Thankfully for no weapons, involved.
I’m in shock reading this. You are to be highly commended. The wife and/or the children could have easily been injured or worse. I was going to say that both the adults needed to be taken to jail – but upon further reading – it looks like the husband was out of control. He was not in control of his facilities – perhaps ‘on something’. I shutter to think of the future of this family and that of the children. What is in their best interest. Biological connection should not be considered if the children are placed outside of the home. If have a friend who went through ‘the system’ most of her life because the judge kept giving her alcoholic mother custody when the mother temporarily cleaned up. My friend would be devastated when she would go back to her mom.
Good luck towards the decision making of these children. THANK YOU for going into a thankless situation!