Late Saturday night, Knoxville police responded to a bizarre incident on Lilac Avenue in which a man reportedly tied the mother of his child to a hot smoker, saying he “wanted to see her burn,” before squeezing their infant son until he was unresponsive.

Officers say 28-year-old Keotric Lyvell Tucker unexpectedly showed up at a home and demanded their son. She refused, saying she was changing his diaper, whereupon he was said to have grabbed her by the neck and began strangling her.

The report said he then took their infant son and started to leave. When she chased after him, he reportedly handed the baby to his 7-year-old child, again grabbed the mother by her neck with both hands and slammed her against the hood of a vehicle.

Then, according to reports, Tucker dragged the woman by the hair out behind the house and tried several times to pick her up and throw her into the large steel smoker. When he was unsuccessful, he eventually tied her to its lid – by her dreadlocks. At one point, the woman tried to get free, so Tucker reportedly punched her in the side of the head and bit her ear and her right arm, police said.

Then, the police reported, he picked up their three-week-old son and began squeezing him until he stopped screaming and went limp. Officers had to pry Tucker’s arms apart in order to free the child.

Elijah Tucker suffered redness and bruising on his abdomen and back; he was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center for evaluation and treatment.

The woman was also taken to UTMC for treatment off a large contusion and swelling in the area of her temple and bleeding behind her eye.

Tucker faces charges that include attempted second-degree murder, child abuse, domestic and aggravated assault and endangerment of a child less than eight years old.