Man charged in kidnapping, pointing a gun at child's head

A man is in custody after he allegedly kidnapped a child and put a gun to his head, according to Harris County officials. A man is in custody after he allegedly kidnapped a child and put a gun to his head, according to Harris County officials. Photo: OnScene.TV Photo: OnScene.TV Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Man charged in kidnapping, pointing a gun at child's head 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

A man is in custody after he allegedly kidnapped a child and put a gun to his head, according to Harris County officials.

Keldrick Ratcliff, 25, is charged with aggravated kidnapping after he is said to have crashed his ex-girlfriend's family gathering Sunday in Channelview and taken their child, a prosecutor told a judge early Monday at a probable cause hearing.

According to investigators, Ratcliff pulled out a gun, pointed it at his ex-girlfriend's face, threatened to kill her, and demanded to see his child when he arrived at the home in Channelview during the party. The woman gave him the child, a prosecutor said.

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Afterwards, Ratcliff told the woman that the only way she'd see her son again is if she gave him $500, a prosecutor said. He was later arrested by Harris County SWAT teams, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

"Our SWAT team selflessly ran towards danger-- risking their own lives to save the lives of others," Gonzalez said. "They saved the life of an innocent precious child and took the suspect into custody without incident."

Ratcliff's bond was set to $250,000.

Michelle Iracheta is a digital reporter in Houston. Read her on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | michelle.iracheta@chron.com