Hours before Sarah Palin would endorse Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump for president, charges were filed against her oldest son, Track Palin, for a violent domestic dispute.
Palin, 26, was arrested Monday for reportedly punching his girlfriend in the face and threatening to shoot himself with an assault rifle. On Tuesday, Palin was charged with “assault, interfering with the report of a domestic violence crime and possessing a weapon while intoxicated” in the incident, which reportedly took place in his parents’ Wasilla, Alaska, home, where he lives, the Associated Press reports.
Court documents viewed by the news site note that Palin and his girlfriend both called police the night of the incident. When police arrived, Palin was outside his parents’ home talking on the phone. He appeared to have an injury around his eye, the officer noted in his report, adding that Palin was placed in handcuffs because he was acting hostile. The officer also noted that Palin smelled strongly of alcohol.
The police report also says that Palin’s girlfriend was reportedly found hiding under a bed inside the home and had “bruising and swelling around her left eye, and she said her right knee hurt after Palin kicked her there.”
After the alleged argument and assault, Palin reportedly grabbed an AR-15 assault rifle, held it toward himself and yelled, “Do you think I won’t do it?”
The girlfriend “was concerned that he would shoot himself and ran outside and around the house,” the affidavit says. “She didn’t see where Palin went, so she went inside and up the stairs, where she hid under a bed,” AP reports.
According to the New York Daily News, the couple began arguing after Palin learned that his girlfriend was in contact with her ex-boyfriend.
“An investigation revealed Track Palin had committed a domestic assault on a female, interfered with her ability to report a crime of domestic violence, and possessed a firearm while intoxicated,” Wasilla police said in a statement to the Daily News. “Palin was held without bail until arraignment.”
Read more at the Associated Press and the New York Daily News.