VIDEO: 18-year-old father abandons newborn in California parking lot

A California father was arrested Monday after surveillance video appeared to show him abandoning his newborn child in a strip mall parking lot.

The video shows the father pull into a parking space and take the child from the backseat. He sets the baby down in its car seat and drives off.

Watch the video above.

According to KCRA, the 16-day-old baby was rescued by owners of nearby businesses and taken to a hospital as a precaution.

Suisun City police said the 18-year-old father crashed his car as officers were still at the scene in the strip mall. He attempted to run from the crash but was taken into custody. He was sent to the hospital for treatment of a shoulder injury.

Daniel Stephen Mitchell was identified as the child's father and interviewed by investigators. He was arrested on charges of felony hit-and-run, child endangerment, child abandonment, committing a felony while on bail and possession of suspected cocaine.

Police said Mitchell was on bail in connection to a burglary in June.

Officials interviewed the infant's mother about the incident. Police said she appeared to not have known about the abandonment and is not considered a suspect at this time.

The case is under investigation.


About the Author:

Brian is an Associate Producer for ClickOnDetroit. He graduated from the University of Michigan-Dearborn with a degree in Journalism and Screen Studies.