16-year-old attacks dad with sword after he’s told to clean his room, Ohio cops say

Ohio police arrested a teenage boy Saturday night at his home in Vermilion after he allegedly attacked his father with a sword.

According to the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, the dad went into the teen’s room and told him to clean it, which he had been trying to get him to do “for a while.” This led to an argument and the 16-year-old pulled out a katana, held it overhead, pointed it at his father.

A struggle ensued. At one point, the dad grabbed the sword by the blade in an attempt to wrench it away from his son, causing deep lacerations to his hands, a sheriff’s office report said. His right knee was also cut badly in the scuffle.

The boy’s mother could hear the fight from another room and rushed in to intervene, according to deputies. She took the sword away — getting her left hand sliced in the process — and put it in a shed outside, so her son couldn’t get to it, she told police.

Deputies arrived at the address around 9 p.m. and took the boy, whose arms were stained with blood, into custody.

A trail of blood droplets led from the boy’s room to the front door, deputies noted.

He was attempting to drive away with a neighbor when the first deputy pulled up to the home, the report said. The deputy ordered the neighbor to get out of the truck and he complied. The teen climbed out of the passenger seat and was put in handcuffs.

The teen told investigators that there have been ongoing domestic problems at his home. His father hadn’t simply come into his room and asked that he clean it, but instead barged in yelling and “lunged” at him. He pulled out his sword in self-defense, the boy said.

He was arrested on charges of felonious assault and domestic violence, according to a sheriff’s office report.

This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 12:33 PM with the headline "16-year-old attacks dad with sword after he’s told to clean his room, Ohio cops say."