Father Arrested After Telling His Suicidal Son ‘Just Do It'

A father has been arrested after allegedly encouraging his suicidal 14-year-old son to kill himself.

Anthony Lewis, 46, is accused of telling his son, who confided in him that he was thinking of killing himself, to “end it now” and to “do it, just do it,” before shoving a shotgun into his arms.

Authorities say when he was forced to hold the gun, the boy dropped it and retreated to his bedroom. The incident was just the latest in a pattern of verbal and physical abuse of the boy during the past six months, according to WMAR-TV.

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Lewis has been charged with attempted first degree assault, second degree assault, child abuse, reckless endangerment, assisted suicide by providing means, firearm use, and failure to send a child to school.

According to court documents obtained by ABC News, between January and June of this year, Lewis hit his son with a belt or extension cord more than 20 times on at least three different occasions.

Investigators say welts and bruises resulted from the abuse and on one occasion, Lewis allegedly strangled his son, who later told police it caused him to see “weird colors in my eyes” and that “it started turning black.”

Lewis is being held without bond at the Jennifer Road Detention Center in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. A preliminary court hearing is set for December 23.