Portsmouth police were called to Russ Street after a woman reported that her husband had put his hands on her 9-year-old daughter during a discipline dispute.
Officers responded to the home around 8 p.m., with multiple units eventually involved.
According to the police report, the woman and the man are married, and the child was born before the marriage.
Police said the man had attempted to discipline the 9-year-old by pushing or shoving her down. The child confirmed to officers that the incident involved pushing or shoving.
Officers advised everyone involved of their legal options. However, family members were upset that the man was not being taken to jail and requested that a supervisor come to the scene.
The situation then took an unusual turn.
According to the report, some of the people involved attempted to have the man drive a vehicle so he could be arrested for OVI. Officers prevented him from driving, noting that if he was intoxicated, allowing him behind the wheel would have created a dangerous situation.
Police then agreed to take the man to a hotel in an attempt to calm things down and separate the parties.
Before that could happen, the situation nearly escalated again. The man called one of the people at the scene a profanity, and that person’s husband threatened to fight him.
The officer said he had to physically push the husband back to prevent a fight.
No arrest was reported in connection with the original child discipline complaint or the later disturbance. Police said the goal was to de-escalate the situation and separate the parties before anyone else got hurt or arrested.
