Bluffton man threatens wife with knife, promises to kill her and their son, police say

A Bluffton man faces a second degree domestic violence charge after threatening his wife with a knife in front of their child, according to a Bluffton Police Department report.

Officers responded to Coastal Carolina Hospital early Tuesday morning where the suspect and victim were being treated in separate rooms for their injuries, the report said.

A nurse called police after the woman said her husband hit her in the face, the report said.

The two were arguing in their apartment after he woke up in the middle of the night, the report said. At one point, he held her down, struck her on the right side of the face with his fist and told her he was going to kill her, the report said.

After he walked away, the woman called out to her minor son, the report said. That’s when the man returned with a knife, the report said. He took the son’s cellphone and promised to kill both of them if they called police, the report said.

The wife said she needed to go to the hospital because her head hurt and he agreed to go with her, the report said.

The woman said that during the fight she scratched the suspect’s eye, the report said. The suspect denied hitting his wife and said he hurt his eye on a door knob, the report said.

After he was discharged from the hospital, the suspect was arrested and booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center about 5:15 a.m. Tuesday. He was released just before 10 a.m., according to the jail log.

The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette do not name those charged with misdemeanor offenses unless the suspect holds a position of trust or authority in the community.