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Police: Man Threw Loaded AK-47 At Baby During Domestic Incident

By Chelsea Hoffman
Published on: 09:56 PST, Aug 8, 2016

Police in Chattanooga say a man threw a loaded AK-47 at a five-month-old baby, and now he’s in some serious trouble. WRCBTV News reports that 30-year-old Joshua Brice Smith has been charged with a variety of crimes stemming from the incident, which took place on Friday.

Authorities in Chattanooga responded to the residence inhabited by the Tennessee man on Friday, on reports that a possible disturbance was taking place. When police arrived at the scene, they became aware that Smith had an alleged history of domestic abuse in the home. They were given photographic evidence by a woman named Amanda Snyder — his girlfriend.

Police say that Snyder has been the victim of domestic violence at the hands of the Tennessee man. They also claim that the man’s 5-month-old baby has been a victim. During an incident in May, Snyder alleges that Smith beat and strangled her. She also claims that she was threatened with a loaded gun. To make the entire situation worse, Joshua Brice Smith is also accused of throwing a loaded AK-47 at a 5-month-old child — his own son.

This isn’t the first time news of irresponsible gun ownership has involved children. Earlier this year, an Arizona man was arrested after he allegedly left his 5-year-old granddaughter out in the desert, in his car, with a loaded.45-caliber handgun. Paul Armand Rater allegedly abandoned the child so he could go eat a cheeseburger and have a beer at a bar. The 5-year-old girl was reportedly instructed to “shoot any bad guys,” while alone with the man’s loaded weapon. The 54-year-old Arizona man has been sentenced to six months of imprisonment in association with this scary incident, and he’s lucky that the child did not hurt herself.

The 5-year-old girl in the Arizona case was incredibly lucky that she was not harmed in the incident, but some children aren’t so fortunate. Earlier this year, a 5-year-old girl accidentally shot and killed herself with her own father’s gun. Authorities in Louisiana say that the father of the child left his loaded weapon on a table in the home, which was easily accessible by his children. When he went to take a shower, the 5-year-old girl began to play with the gun, which ended in her tragic demise.

In the case of Tennessee man, Joshua Brice Smith, authorities aren’t clarifying on a lot of details regarding the incident involving his 5-month-old child. However, using the evidence they’ve obtained against him, authorities in Chattanooga were able to charge Smith with two counts of aggravated assault, possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of methamphetamine, drugs for resale, child neglect, aggravated domestic assault, and false imprisonment.

This is also not the Tennessee man’s first time in the news. Earlier this year, Joshua Brice Smith was involved in what authorities ruled a justified homicide. Smith reportedly killed a 19-year-old man who had attempted to rob him at gunpoint and was cleared of any wrongdoing. Nonetheless, authorities say that this man has an extensive criminal record and is known to have a “vast arsenal of weaponry.”

Reports aren’t clarifying on whether or not the AK-47 in question was still in his possession at the time of his arrest, or if it has been removed from his possession since these charges of violence have been stacked against him. Police also haven’t clarified on other details that may be useful, regarding the incident with the loaded AK-47 and his five-month-old child.

[Image via Hamilton County Sheriff]

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