Caught on video: Father with baby pushes away man with gun

DETROIT (WXYZ) - Shocking surveillance video shows a father trying to protect himself and his 7-month old baby from a man with a gun.

That baby is safe, and police have taken a person of interest into custody.

A clerk said the man came running in with a baby in his arms, and he was trying to hide.

“It’s just upsetting. It’s difficult to watch. I mean, it’s just no regard for human life or for the life of a child,” Detroit Police 2nd Precinct Commander Michael Chambers said.

The gun jamming or somehow malfunctioning is what may have saved the father’s life and that of his baby when Detroit Police say this man tried to open fire on them inside a Valero gas station early Sunday evening, Father’s Day.

“The father quickly, once he observed it, lifted his arm up and fortunately pushed the gun away. He was able to get him outside of the gas station and lock the door,” Chambers said.

Police said what the gunman did is a felonious assault, and they released this surveillance video in hopes that someone seeing it could help identify the would-be shooter. He is seen approaching the gas station in his white tank top, tan bucket hat and long khaki shorts. What you don’t see until he’s opening the door of the gas station is the gun he had tucked in his pants. Police said he’s after the man holding the baby who the clerk says had just run inside to hide.

“Yeah, he runs to hide in the gas station, but he followed him,” gas station clerk Adam Albarmaki said.

The dad manages to push the gun away. Thankfully he and his baby were not shot.

“We are asking that the public if they are able to or they know this individual to call 1 800 Speak up,” Chambers said.

Monday afternoon, just a few blocks away, police took a person of interest into custody and then obtained a search warrant to look for the gun involved. As for a motive, police said the men had just had some sort of dispute.

“About a block away from this location there at Tyerman and Humble. He had accounted this individual, appears they had some type of argument unknown at this time. We still are early in the investigation and trying to work backwards,” Chambers said.

Before running into the gas station, the man with the baby sustained some sort of injury to his arm, possibly stabbed or cut.

“It’s definitely upsetting and disturbing watch that when you look at that video, especially on Father’s Day,” Chambers said.