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Police charged an Altoona man with child endangerment Tuesday after learning the details of a physical altercation between him and his girlfriend, court documents stated.
Emmanuel C. Wright, 32, was arraigned Tuesday by Magisterial District Judge Daniel DeAntonio on charges relating to child endangerment and harassment, according to court documents.
Wright called police Tuesday morning to report his girlfriend was leaving their residence with their 1-year-old child despite the child not being properly dressed for the winter conditions.
When Altoona police officers responded, the woman said she was trying to leave the residence because of an argument between Wright and her, which became physical before the police arrived, a criminal complaint stated.
Officers separated the pair to interview them individually.
The woman said an argument broke out earlier when the couple's child woke up, and they could not decide who would care for the infant, police reported.
During the argument, Wright allegedly broke the woman's phone, and she attempted to leave the residence with the child, court documents stated.
Wright reportedly stopped her because he needed their vehicle for work, and the woman said she responded by pulling out a can of pepper spray and pointing it at Wright while holding their child, according to a police report.
Upon being threatened with the pepper spray, Wright lunged at the woman, grappling with her while the child was still in her arms, court documents stated.
During an interview with Wright, police reported his retelling of the events was similar to hers, except that Wright first said the child was not in the woman's arms when he lunged at her.
Later, Wright allegedly admitted the child was in the woman's arms during the altercation, but he said he only grappled with his girlfriend to prevent her using the pepper spray and did not wrestle with the infant, a criminal complaint stated.
Released on an unsecured bail of $10,000, Wright's preliminary hearing is scheduled with DeAntonio for Feb. 10.
Mirror Staff Writer Ike Fredregill is at 814-946-7458.