(AP) -- WARREN, Mich. - Authorities say a suburban Detroit father used his 2-year-old child as a shield to protect himself from a police Taser.

Police say charges against 27-year-old Joseph Raymond Cox stem from an incident last Saturday at his ex-wife's home in Warren, about 10 miles north-northeast of Detroit.

Police Capt. Dennis DeVooght tells The Macomb Daily that Cox took a "fighting stance" with police after he returned to the home following an earlier incident.

When officers pointed their Tasers at Cox, he positioned the child between himself and the officers. One officer grabbed the suspect's arm and a witness grabbed the child. Officers did not fire their Tasers.

Cox is being held in the Macomb County Jail. An April 8 preliminary hearing has been set.

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