Indiana man arrested after toddler seen playing with pistol

BEECH GROVE, Indiana — A man in the US state of Indiana faces criminal charges after a young boy was allegedly seen holding a handgun outside their apartment and pulling the trigger without firing any bullets.

Indianapolis TV station WXIN, citing a police report by the Beech Grove Police Department, said a 45-year-old man was arrested Saturday for felony neglect of a dependent.

Live footage of the arrest was filmed by and broadcast on the reality TV show called “On Patrol: Live,” which follows law enforcement officers on duty, the department confirmed.

It was not immediately clear what led police to the apartment, but a video of a young boy playing with the gun was recorded by a security camera and seized by police in their investigation, the station reported.

The boy, who was not named, can be seen waving the gun and pulling its trigger. He did not appear to be harmed.

Police also seized a semiautomatic Smith & Wesson 9 mm pistol, the station reported. While no rounds were in the gun’s chamber, there were 15 rounds in the magazine.

NEW: Neighbors who saw a toddler in diapers wandering around a Beech Grove, Indiana, apartment complex with a loaded handgun called police. The incident was caught on building cameras. The father – who lied that he didn’t own a gun – was arrested. #inlegis https://t.co/FPpHFNi4rn pic.twitter.com/UGic373G4L

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) January 15, 2023

Beech Grove police did not immediately respond to a request for additional information by The Associated Press.

Last week, a 6-year-old boy shot his teacher with a handgun during class at his Virginia school.