Wanted Man Used Son, 11, As Human Shield

JANUARY 10--As police prepared to take him into custody with the aid of a stun gun, a Pennsylvania man used his 11-year-old son as a human shield in an attempt to prevent officers from shocking him, according to a criminal complaint.

When state troopers arrived yesterday at a Cambria County residence with an arrest warrant for Daniel Taylor, the 35-year-old defendant was not prepared to surrender.

Taylor, cops say, was found hiding in the home’s attic, where he refused police commands to surrender. Instead, the complaint alleges, Taylor held his child--who was “crying and frightened”--in front of him “as a shield to prevent the TASER being deployed.”

When officers sought to pull the boy from his grasp, Taylor struggled with them as he continued to hold his son in place while ignoring police demands to release the child.

An initial attempt to stun Taylor failed when the device was accidentally deployed against a state trooper. But a second attempt was successful, which allowed cops to place Taylor in custody.

Pictured above, Taylor was charged with multiple crimes, including aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a minor, both of which are felonies. It is unclear what count (or counts) Taylor was facing in connection with the warrant that brought law enforcement to the his home.

 Taylor, who was arraigned this morning, is locked up in the county jail in lieu of $30,000 bail. (1 page)