Man Sentenced to Prison for Attacking Aunt, His Children's Mother

POMONA, CA - A Pomona man was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison for attacking his children's mother and holding a knife to his aunt's throat.

Robert Allen Shirley, 32, pleaded no contest March 3 to one felony count each of injuring a child's parent, assault with a deadly weapon and resisting an executive officer, and admitted an allegation that he personally used a knife, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Shirley got into an argument Feb. 21 with his children's mother in her Pomona home, according to Deputy District Attorney Kelsey McKeever-Unger.

Shirley's aunt, who lives next door, saw the altercation and called police for help, the prosecutor said.

Authorities saw Shirley holding a knife to the aunt's throat, and officers shot beanbags at him in order to have him release the woman, according to the prosecutor.

The woman broke free and police were able to subdue and arrest Shirley, McKeever-Unger said.

--City News Service, photo via Shutterstock