He punched and choked his pregnant girlfriend in front of child, Myrtle Beach police say
A man punched and choked his pregnant girlfriend in front of their child during an altercation, according to a Myrtle Beach police report.
Police went to the 300 block of 12th Avenue North around 7 p.m. Saturday for a domestic violence call. The victim told officers that the suspect — later identified as 26-year-old Shakim Bernard Brown — hit her in the face several times and choked her when she attempted to grab her belongings and leave, the report states.
Police then attempted to speak with Brown, who was in another room and telling officers he was using the bathroom, according to the report. The officers said they heard the toilet flush multiple times before Brown opened the door to show he was on the toilet. Police noted that Brown refused to come out of the bathroom and that they wound up pulling him out and detaining him.
Brown told police he did not hit the victim, stating that it was just a verbal argument, according to the report. Brown told police he had witnesses to corroborate his claims but that they had left when they knew police were coming. Officers asked how he cut his hand and Brown told them he tripped over the mirror and was attempting to pick up the glass, the report states.
When questioned about the cut on the woman’s lip, Brown said he did not know how it got there, police say.
The victim told police she is pregnant with Brown’s child and that they have another child in common. She said she has lived with him in the past and had been staying at the residence with him at times recently, according to the report.
The victim told police the incident started when she attempted to get her belongings and leave, which started an argument. Brown then threw a punch that she blocked with her arms, the report states. The woman then picked up the mirror in an attempt to block his punches, though Brown hit and broke the mirror and struck her in the mouth, police noted. The woman also told police she was attempting to call her mother to ask her to call the police, but Brown knocked the phone out of her hand.
The victim then grabbed the phone and left the room, police say. The couple’s child was present for the incident, according to the report.
Officers arrested Brown and charged him with first-degree domestic violence.
This story was originally published February 23, 2020 at 1:41 PM.
