A Somerville man allegedly broke into a day-care center in that city Tuesday morning and tried to kidnap a child, before being taken into custody after a violent struggle with police that left one officer injured, authorities said.
Sandro Corbelli entered the day-care center at 17 Dartmouth St., where he lives in a separate apartment, shortly before 9:15 a.m., Somerville police said in a statement.
When police arrived, “17 Dartmouth Street was locked, and there was no answer at the door, however, the sounds of screaming and struggling could be heard coming from inside,” police said. “Forced entry was made.”
Officers made their way to the second story, where they found Corbelli holding a 1-year-old girl, police said.
He refused officers’ orders to release the child, police said, and he “had both of his arms around the child in a bear hug. The child was visibly in distress.”
After a struggle that lasted about a minute, police were able to take the girl from Corbelli and then tackled him, but he continued to resist, Somerville police said in the statement.
“At one point in the struggle, Corbelli managed to grab an officer’s gun,” police said. “A protracted, violent struggle involving five to six officers took place in a narrow hallway on the second floor. In the struggle to subdue him, one officer was injured. Corbelli has been transported to the hospital for evaluation.”
Corbelli is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Somerville District Court on several charges including kidnapping and assault and battery.
Somerville Deputy Police Chief Stephen Carrabino said Corbelli is not the father of the child, and that the girl was unharmed.
The injured officer was released from the hospital later Tuesday, Carrabino said.
“A day-care worker took custody of the child and brought her into another room with the rest of the day-care children,” police said.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.