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Mom Arrested, Left 2 Babies in Car While Shopping Sat. Over 110 Degrees Inside Car. LASD Cudahy

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A witness saw two babies in a car in a parking lot at about 12:30PM Saturday and was very concerned because it was over 90 degrees outside and they were left unatttended. She waited for several minutes for adults to return to the car for the children, but when they didn't, she called East Los Angeles Sheriff's Station.

Deputies immediately responded, using their radio car's red lights and siren, to the 7900 block of Atlantic Avenue, Cudahy.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Pedro Mejia arrived in less than two minutes, and found the car with a 2 week old infant and a one year old toddler sitting in child protective car seats inside a locked car, with no adults present.

Deputy Mejia was able to gain access through a partially opened rear window and safely removed the children.

The babies were hot and moist to the touch, so the deputy placed them in his air conditioned patrol car until Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics arrived to render further medical aid.

Deputy Mejia said there was no time to waste when patrol units arrived and found the kids in the car in the parking lot. "The window was partially cracked. I stuck my arm in, unlocked the car, and pulled the children out," Mejia said.

The temperature outside at the time was over 92 degrees Fahrenheit and the temperature inside the car was estimated to be more than 110 degrees. It is estimated that the babies were inside the hot car for over 20 minutes.

Mejia said the children's 18-year-old mother, did not seem upset when she came back to her car. "She was in a local store, making a purchase," Mejia said. She was placed under arrest for child endangerment.

The children were treated at the scene by Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics and transported to a local hospital for medical treatment. Their present condition is not known.

We are grateful to the anonymous witness who cared and called us right away. "If You See Something, Say Something."


TV News Media interviews with Deputy Mejia:

Mother arrested for leaving babies in hot car while she shopped in Cudahy (ABC-TV-7)

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=8770551

18-Year-Old Woman Arrested For Allegedly Leaving Her 2 Young Children Locked Inside Hot Car (CBS-TV-2)

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/08/11/18-year-old-woman-arrested-for-allegedly-leaving-her-2-young-children-locked-inside-hot-car/

The case is being investigated by detectives from East Los Angeles Sheriff's Station under case number 012-10013-0262-171. Partner to prevent or report crime by contacting your local Sheriff’s station. Or if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org


Hot Oven, Hot Car...It's the same thing. Leaving a child or an animal in a hot car is dangerous and a crime.

Heatstroke tragedy is 100% preventable. "Where's baby? Look before you lock." http://www.safercar.gov/ ​

U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) national campaign focuses on preventing child heatstroke deaths in cars, urging parents and caregivers to think "Where's baby? Look before you lock." Heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle related deaths for children under the age of 14, with at least 33 fatalities reported in 2011 alone.

NHTSA's "Where's baby? Look before you lock" campaign urges parents and caregivers to take important precautions to prevent inadvertent incidents from occurring:

■Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle – even if the windows are partially open or the engine is running and the air conditioning is on

■Make a habit of looking in the vehicle – front and back – before locking the door and walking away

■Ask the childcare provider to call if the child does not show up for care as expected

■Do things that serve as a reminder a child is in the vehicle, such as placing a purse or briefcase in the back seat to ensure no child is accidently left in the vehicle, writing a note or using a stuffed animal placed in the driver's view to indicate a child is in the car seat

■Teach children a vehicle is not a play area and store keys out of a child's reach

http://www.safercar.gov/ ​



Lieutenant Daniel V. Lopez
East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
www.Cudahy.lasd.org
www.EastLA.lasd.org
323-264-4151



Forwarded by:
Kim Manatt, Deputy
Mike Parker, Captain
Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau - Newsroom
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
4700 Ramona Blvd., Monterey Park CA 91754
Office: 323-267-4800
http://www.lasd.org
SHBNewsroom@lasd.org
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Leroy D. Baca, Sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department


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