Desert Hot Springs man arrested for assaulting girlfriend

A Desert Hot Springs man who allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and held her at knifepoint is in custody after endangering both the woman and the couple’s young child.

Desert Hot Springs police responded to reports of a domestic disturbance at 6:44 p.m. Friday at a home in the 64200 block of Olympic Mountain Avenue.

A woman at the scene told police her boyfriend struck her during an argument and then held a knife to her throat, said Sgt. Daud Chang of the Desert Hot Springs Police Department.

Police said the woman was holding the couple’s toddler during the argument and when she tried to call 911 with her cellphone, her boyfriend grabbed the phone and threw it to the floor.

He then allegedly fled the scene and headed to his parent’s home in Cathedral City.

Cathedral City police assisted and arrested the man at his parent’s home in the 67300 block of Garbino Road, Chang said.

Michael Hathaway, 28, was arrested for suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, domestic battery, child endangerment and obstructing wireless communication to prevent the notification of law enforcement.

Hathaway was booked at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, where he was being held in lieu of $35,000 bail.