Inset: Rafael T. Evans (Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office). Background: The apartment building where Evans allegedly passed two kids between sixth-floor balconies (Google Maps).
A 49-year-old man in Indiana is accused of dangling two young children from the balcony of his sixth-floor apartment to a neighbor's balcony as he attempted to evade law enforcement.
Rafael Theodore Evans was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with two counts each of domestic battery and unlawful possession of a firearm as well as one count each of neglect of a dependent and theft of a firearm, records show.
The incident began when officers with the Evansville Police Department responded about 9:45 a.m. to a 911 hang-up call at an apartment building in the 300 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, local NBC affiliate WFIE reported.
A woman placed the initial 911 call and told the emergency dispatcher that she and Evans had gotten into a verbal argument when he allegedly physically assaulted her.
During an interview with detectives, the victim reportedly said Evans struck her in the head twice in front of his two young children, according to a report from local ABC affiliate WEHT.
After striking the victim, Evans allegedly stole her handgun. The victim reportedly explained that she never allowed Evans to take her gun because Evans, a convicted felon, was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
When first responders arrived, they reportedly saw Evans on a sixth-floor balcony, where he allegedly passed one of his young children over the gap to the adjacent balcony. He then passed a second child over the same gap before crossing the gap himself and entering the neighboring apartment.
One of Evans' children reportedly left the neighbor's apartment before Evans came out holding the other child. He was then taken into custody without incident, according to the report.
The neighbors gave police permission to search their apartment, where investigators allegedly recovered a handgun. The two people who lived in the neighboring apartment reportedly told police they did not own a gun and did not know how the firearm got into their home.
Following his arrest, Evans reportedly told detectives he never had possession of the woman's firearm and blamed her for starting the argument.
Evans was processed at the Vanderburgh County Jail. A judge ordered him to remain in detention for at least 24 hours before setting a $300 cash-only bond. Should he be released, Evans cannot have any contact with the woman.
Evans is scheduled to appear in court for his initial hearing Nov. 11.
The Evansville Police Department did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Law&Crime seeking additional information.