Police arrested a father while trying to drown two young children on a US beach, authorities said.
An officer had been patrolling in the town of West Haven, Connecticutwhen he saw a Nissan SUV parked on the beach at around 2.30am local time (7.30am UK time) on Saturday, police said.
The officer then approached the vehicle and heard “significant screams coming from the water,” the force added.
The West Haven Police Department said that as the officer “continued toward this commotion, it was evident that an adult male and two small children were in the water.”
“As the officer entered the water, the adult male continued to walk away with the children while shouting at the responding officers to ‘stay back,'” the force added.
Police said at that point it became “obvious” that the man was “deliberately drowning his children.”
The responding officers ended up being about 100 yards from shore when they approached the man and the children.
The first officer to arrive was able to reach the young men and other officers helped carry them to shore.
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The children were provided life-saving measures and taken to a hospital where they remained in intensive care on Saturday, according to police.
The father was detained on Saturday.
“Without a doubt, the quick response of our patrol officers saved the lives of these children,” police said in the statement.
The incident remains under investigation.
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