NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police said a father attacked his own children during an hours long standoff while he barricaded at a Northwest Miami-Dade home for hours.
It took Donnell Bell roughly eight hours to walk out of his home after he refused to leave, Monday.
While it did end peacefully, that’s not how authorities said it started.
“I’m glad it ended peacefully,” said Henry Hope.
Neighbors had no idea what was going on in the home on Northwest 21st Court near 120th Street, before Bell barricaded himself.
“They were asking him to come out, but he, um, wouldn’t come out,” said Hope.
They watched officers swarm the neighborhood.
“Next thing I know, the street was full and uh, next street over there was full of police cars,” said Hope.
Detectives said, leading up to his arrest, Bell had threatened to kill his daughter.
They accused him of slapping the 17-year-old in the face, and they also said he kicked her in the stomach, punched her in the eye, pointed a gun at her, and then hit her in the back of the head with it.
At some point Bell “…gave the victim three unknown small white pills to consume, that made her sleepy, dizzy, and hallucinate,” according to authorities.
Bell was surrounded around 9:30 Monday night.
A young boy, believed to be his son, walked out before him. On Tuesday, he appeared in court at a shelter hearing via Zoom.
“Do you know where my father is at?” he asked the judge.
There has been ongoing turmoil in the home that had affected the children.
7News was told the boy would be placed in a temporary home, and other minors will be placed all together in a separate home.
Bell has been charged with child abuse.
Authorities have added another child abuse charge for an incident they said occurred in July with his two other daughters.
Bell posted bond on Tuesday.
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