A 20-year-old Maricopa man was arrested Friday after police said he kicked, choked and threatened to murder his ex-girlfriend while her baby was nearby.

Maricopa Police Department officers responded to a Rancho Mirage home on Santa Barbara Avenue just after 4 p.m. They were responding to a report of a man kicking, choking and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend. The woman told police she was hiding in a closet with her baby and was afraid to leave because she might anger him.

When officers entered the home, they found Robert Cota in the master bathroom with the door closed. Police had a brief showdown, ordering Cota outside. He was eventually arrested without incident. The woman and the child were located safe in another bedroom.

Police said Cota admitted to arguing with his partner about his cheating when things turned physical. Cota admitted to kicking the woman while she was hiding in the closet and grabbing her neck. “He confirmed he grabbed a pair of blue scissors and threatened her by telling her to leave him or he was going to kill her,” according to a police interview.

Officers said that the threats, physical force and the presence of the baby during the incident created probable cause for multiple felony charges: aggravated assault, domestic violence, threatening and intimidating.

If convicted, he faces a maximum of 15 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections.