OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida man is behind bars after deputies said he used a baby as a human shield.
Zachary McKinney - arrested last night after using an infant as a shield against deputies while refusing to obey commands following a traffic stop on #Interstate10.
— OkaloosaSheriff (@OCSOALERTS) March 3, 2020
Charges range from #childabuse to battery on a LEO and on a hospital staffer. #arrest ⭐️https://t.co/TwDZYv7RQA pic.twitter.com/d4kYaBfAs3
According to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, authorities arrested Zachary Taylor McKinney, 31, of DeFuniak Springs, late Monday after he was pulled over for a child custody issue.
“Once stopped, he refused to obey basic commands and appeared to be under the influence of narcotics,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. He also held and “refused to release the infant, using the victim as a shield,” authorities said.
The department’s Special Tactics Unit rescued the baby, who was not harmed, and apprehended McKinney, who was then examined at a nearby hospital, the release said.
“When being transferred from the hospital to the Okaloosa County Jail, McKinney kicked, scratched and attempted to bite deputies,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “Due to his elevated vitals and mannerisms, he was taken back to the hospital where during a procedure he attacked a medical staff member, choking him and shoving his fingers into his mouth, causing injuries to the medical staffer’s face, neck, mouth and abdomen.”
McKinney is facing charges of battery on an officer, battery on a health care worker, false imprisonment of a child, child abuse and resisting arrest, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Cox Media Group
