Father Jailed After Taking Child Hostage

A 27-year-old Santa Ana man was in jail Saturday after he forced a tense standoff with police by holding a steak knife to his baby daughter’s throat and demanding release into Mexico, authorities said.

The 2-month-old girl suffered minor scratches on her throat but was not seriously injured, Santa Ana Police Sgt. Steve Colon said. She was released to her mother.

At 3 p.m. Friday, police were called to a home in north Santa Ana, where two officers found Reyna Rene Fuentes holding his daughter hostage, police said.

When questioned by the officers, Fuentes allegedly yanked a steak knife from his pocket and held it against the baby’s throat.

He said he would release the child only at the Mexican border--provided he was granted safe passage into Mexico, Colon said.

Police believe Fuentes is from Mexico.

The officers negotiated with the man for an hour and a half, the sergeant said.

The man repeatedly threatened the child’s life, baiting police to kill him, Colon said.

Authorities called in a SWAT team in case police needed to storm the home to get the baby out. Before the SWAT team arrived, however, Fuentes surrendered, Colon said.

“They just convinced him that there was no point to this,” the sergeant said.

He was charged with two felonies--assault with a deadly weapon and corporal punishment/causing injury to a child--and was jailed in lieu of $50,000 bond. He is expected to be arraigned Monday or Tuesday.

Police believe a disagreement with relatives sparked the incident.