A Tennessee teenager is facing multiple serious charges after authorities said he violently assaulted a man and fled the scene with the man’s toddler. The disturbing incident unfolded on Sunday morning in Knoxville and has led to charges including attempted second-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping.
Charles Coffman, 19, was arrested and booked into the Knox County Jail. Authorities say the teen brutally attacked a man with a toilet plunger before kidnapping the victim’s 3-year-old daughter and stealing his SUV.
Police responded to a welfare check at a residence on Mercer Street around 8:45 a.m. after receiving a report that the man living there might be dead and his daughter missing. Officers forced entry into the home and discovered the man lying naked in the bathroom, severely beaten and bleeding. The strong smell of bleach filled the house, and the child was nowhere to be found.
Reports from local news stations WBIR and WVLT reveal that Coffman admitted to assaulting the man. He allegedly said he punched the victim multiple times, slammed him to the ground, and used a toilet plunger to strike the victim and even forced it into his mouth.
Coffman also claimed to have stripped the victim, dragged him into the bathroom, and poured bleach on his wounds, actions police say indicate an attempt to destroy evidence.
In addition to the beating, Coffman took off with the man’s Ford Expedition. He was later found with an unnamed woman and the kidnapped child in the vehicle after police issued a region-wide alert.
During interrogation, Coffman told police that he acted under instruction from his jailed mother, who allegedly asked him to retrieve the child. He also claimed she gave him permission to take the car.
However, police later contacted Coffman’s mother, who denied speaking with her son and firmly stated that she never gave him custody of the child or authorization to take the vehicle.
The woman who was with Coffman corroborated parts of the story, telling investigators that Coffman handed her the child after the assault. She recalled overhearing him mention the fight during a phone call, uncertain whether the victim had survived.
The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma and other serious head injuries. As of now, police have been unable to interview him due to the extent of his condition.
Charles Coffman remains in custody at the Knox County Jail. His charges include attempted second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, tampering with evidence, and theft. He is expected to appear in court for a bond hearing on Friday.
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