The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Tuesday, January 01, 2019 03:00 PM
Knoxville Man Arrested After He Shoves Girlfriend, Pushes 1-Year Old Baby Down Stairs
Officers with the Knoxville Police Department responded to the East Tennessee Children's Hospital around 8:25 p.m. Monday, May 7, about an incident that happened in the 4600 block of Mockingbird Drive. The victim told KPD she and her boyfriend, 40-year-old Fredlin Gaggley, were arguing when Gaggley assaulted both her and the child.
Gaggley allegedly began throwing around the victim's personal items, and she pleaded with him to stop because he was scaring the baby.
"She needs to be scared," the victim told officer Gaggley said. She told KPD she was standing at the top of the stairs, holding the baby, when Gaggley pushed her. The victim said she avoided falling down the stairs by grabbing a railing. According to the report, she tried to walk the rest of the way down the stairs when Gaggley threw a hamper of clothes at her and the child, which "caused her to trip down the rest of the stairs" and drop her child.
Gaggley allegedly then tried to walk down the stairs past his girlfriend and baby when he stepped on the child's chest — his girlfriend told KPD it appeared to be accidental.
"I'm going to leave before I do something else stupid," Gaggley allegedly said, and the victim told KPD he drove off before officers arrived.
After hearing the victim's story, officers observed swelling on her left forearm consistent with breaking her fall down the stairs by grabbing a railing. KPD officers also saw small scratch on the baby and a mark on her chest "that appeared to be a shoe print."
Gaggley was arrested and charged with child endangerment and domestic assault. He'll face the charges in court May 17.
