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Cocoa police arrest man at center of 3-hour standoff with child, gun in home

COCOA, Fla. — A 30-year-old man was taken into custody Thursday afternoon after a three-hour standoff with Cocoa police.

Officers were called to School Street after a woman walked to the Cocoa Police Department with a baby in her arms.

She told police she'd been held against her will and beaten for hours by her boyfriend, and that her 5-year-old son was still in the home with the suspect, James Hale.

Police made repeated attempts to make contact Hale.

At about the time more officers were arriving for an unrelated call on the same street, SWAT officers approached the front door of the residence involved in the standoff and saw the suspect behind an unlocked door.

They were able to secure the suspect and rescue the 5-year-old child, who was not injured.

Hale, a convicted felon, is facing charges of aggravated battery/domestic violence, false imprisonment and child abuse. He may also be facing weapons charges. Two weapons were found in plain view on the kitchen counter, police said. Hale is a convicted felon.

A search warrant was being executed inside the residence and detectives said the investigation is ongoing.