Mom arrested after leaving two 2-year-olds in hot car while grocery shopping in OKC
The incident occurred Sunday at the Walmart Supercenter off Interstate 240.
The incident occurred Sunday at the Walmart Supercenter off Interstate 240.
The incident occurred Sunday at the Walmart Supercenter off Interstate 240.
A mom has been arrested after leaving two 2-year-olds in a hot car while she went grocery shopping in Oklahoma City.
The incident occurred Sunday at the Walmart Supercenter off Interstate 240. The children are alive today thanks to a stranger who jumped into action.
For 40 minutes, the two little girls were sitting in their car seats, with temperatures hitting nearly 100 degrees. Thermostats show it could’ve been 130 degrees inside that car.
At 2:22 p.m. Sunday, the mom walked into Walmart alone while her two toddlers were left in the hot car. 40 minutes later, she walked out to find her car surrounded by officers.
OKC police said a stranger saw the children unconscious in the back and took action.
"Actually forced their way into the sunroof, unlocked the doors, got the kids out of the car. They were lethargic at the time," said Sgt. Gary Knight, OCPD.
A Walmart security officer put the children into her air-conditioned car.
Police said the store made numerous intercom announcements, repeating the vehicle’s tag number, but no one ever came outside.
"It doesn’t matter how important your errand is, those kids are the most important thing, or at least they should be," said Joe Dorman, CEO of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy.
The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy said if you see a child locked in a hot car, don’t hesitate.
"They are not only well within their right to go through the car even if it damages the car, I would say it’s encouraged to make sure those kids are safe. For a parent or guardian just to think they would leave their kids in a car on a hot day like that, it’s just astounding," Dorman said.
The two little girls are expected to be okay. Police said they’re with family members right now.
The mom is now facing two complaints of child neglect.