GARY, Ind. (WISH) — Lake County Sheriff’s Department deputies on Wednesday arrested a man who used his ex-girlfriend’s 15-month-old toddler as a human shield while barricading himself in a bathroom. What began as an armed domestic incident escalated into a hostage situation for a woman with three young children Wednesday morning in Gary. The suspect is a convicted felon and is in police custody. The mother and her three children are safe. Just before 5 a.m. Wednesday, a 25-year-old woman called 911 to report her ex-boyfriend was armed with a handgun inside her apartment. He had threatened to shoot her and the police. The woman said she had a protective order against her ex-boyfriend. The apartment is located in the 2400 block of West 45th Avenue. Lake County deputies and Lake County 911 attempted to maintain contact with the mother, and the Lake County Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) was called to the scene. The mother was eventually able to leave the apartment with two children, ages 2 and 4. The mother and her two children were medically evaluated at the scene, but she refused further medical treatment. The Lake County SWAT team entered the apartment, and located the suspect and a 15-month-old child. The suspect was hiding in the bathtub and holding the toddler to shield himself. The suspect resisted officers who were trying to place him into custody. An officer deployed a taser to subdue the suspect. The suspect was medically evaluated at the scene and taken to the Lake County Jail. Officers retrieved a handgun from a vehicle registered to the suspect. Investigators identified the suspect as a 31-year-old man from Crown Point, Indiana. He could face charges including criminal confinement, stalking, resisting, residential entry, neglect of a dependent, domestic battery in the presence of a child, and weapons violation. Investigators did not provide his identity. ...read more read less