PHOENIX, Ariz. — Police in Phoenix have released body camera video showing the tense moments when officers rescued a toddler from a man allegedly holding him hostage with a machete inside a home last month.

The incident unfolded on September 24, when officers responded to reports that Wilson Melgar was threatening family members while armed with a machete and refusing to release his young son.

Bodycam footage shows officers repeatedly ordering Melgar to drop the weapon and let the child go. When he refused, police fired two foam rounds, but Melgar continued holding the machete while the toddler sat on his lap.

Moments later, officers moved in, shooting Melgar and safely pulling the child away. The boy suffered minor bruises and scrapes but is expected to be OK and is now with his mother.

Melgar was hospitalized and later booked into jail, facing multiple charges including child abuse, endangerment, aggravated assault, and kidnapping.

Investigators said Melgar’s brother-in-law, Taylor Lasavage, secretly texted 911 to report the situation, telling dispatchers that Melgar had threatened to use the machete on anyone who tried to take the child. Officials credited his quick actions with preventing the situation from turning deadly.

According to court documents, Melgar’s rage began after a confrontation with his wife earlier that evening at a bar. When she didn’t return home immediately, he reportedly armed himself and waited to “finish the fight.”

Lasavage told police that Melgar was “very upset” and had used the machete to slice a water bottle in half before turning his anger toward family members.