DETROIT – A 35-year-old Detroit man is facing multiple charges after police say he crashed his motorcycle while intoxicated with his 1-year-old daughter — who was unsecured — and left her injured at the scene.
Kabamba E. Kyalangalilwa was arraigned last week on one count of second-degree child abuse, one count of child abandonment, one count of fourth-degree child abuse, one count of operating while license suspended, revoked, or denied, and one count of reckless driving
According to investigators, the incident occurred on June 28 near the 12800 block of Braile Street in Detroit. Prosecutors allege that Kyalangalilwa brought his daughter to a party in the area around 11:30 a.m. He then reportedly took the child to a neighboring home and asked unfamiliar individuals to allow her to swim with their children, leaving her in their care while he returned to the party.
When he returned on his motorcycle approximately five hours later, police say he was intoxicated and attempted to ride away with his daughter, who was unsecured. Investigators say he drove off at a high rate of speed, causing him to lose control and both to fall off the bike and slide into the roadway.
His daughter sustained multiple injuries in the crash, including lacerations to her head, face and legs, and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Prosecutors say Kyalangalilwa then attempted to flee the scene in a vehicle before abandoning it and fleeing on floot, leaving his injured toddler behind.
“I do not recall in all of my years as a prosecutor and judge ever seeing a set of facts like this. The alleged conduct of this defendant was way beyond atrocious and horrendous,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said about the case. “This poor baby deserved the appropriate care, dedication, and simple human decency. It is miraculous that she is still among the living.”
Kyalangalilwa was initially given a $100,000 cash/surety bond with a GPS tether on July 15, but it was lowered to a $25,000 personal bond with a GPS tether at a bond redetermination hearing held on Tuesday.
He is due back in court at 11 a.m. Aug. 20 for a preliminary exam.