Taser Subdues Rock-Throwing Teen Who Forced His Way Into Home: Police

BEACON, NY — A teenager had to be subdued with a Taser after terrorizing a family with small children at home, according to cops.

The City of Beacon Police Department says that on Sunday, around 5:30 p.m., officers responded to a call for help at the Tomkins Terrace apartment complex.

At the scene, a woman identified herself as the caller and told told police that a 17-year-old, who also lives in the complex, had forced his way inside her apartment and attacked her adult son while his young children, ages 4 and 5, were also in the apartment.

Officers went to the suspect's apartment in order to interview him about the allegations. He briefly opened the door, did not given police a chance to explain themselves, and quickly shut the door on them, according to police officials.

After an officer again knocked on the door, and spoke to a man who opened the door, the 17-year-old suspect walked past him and out the door, according to responding officers. Police followed him and called his name to get him to stop, but say he never responded to them.

The suspect quickly walked towards the caller and her apartment, getting within an arm's length distance from her and "began to engage in a verbal altercation with her" as he approached the window of her apartment, cops said. He reached into his pocket, pulled out what seemed to be a rock, threw it towards the window, but missed and instead struck the wall beneath it, according to authorities.

As officers told him to stop, he then yelled at the caller, made a threatening gesture toward her, reached into his pocket, and pulled out another rock, police said. As he began to throw the second rock, an officer used a Taser to stop him from trying to break the window, where police knew two small children were inside, the department said in a statement.

The suspect was then taken into custody and evaluated by EMS at police headquarters. He was held pending arraignment on charges of felony second degree burglary, misdemeanor fourth degree criminal mischief, misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child, and misdemeanor third degree attempted assault.

"The Beacon Police officers who respondeed to this incident are certified in Crisis Intervention and attempted to verbally engage with the suspect to de-escalate the incident," the City of Beacon Police Department said in the statement. "At no time, however, did he respond to the officers or even acknowledge their presence as he approached the female caller. In a situation where an individual will not even acknowledge the officers' presence and is taking actions which are threatening to a victim and small children, officers then must take prompt action to protect other people."