The rear windows had been lowered slightly, but officers say that the 2-year-old boy was sweating and was clearly uncomfortable. The passerby ran back into the store and told the employees to call police.
"It was about approximately 100 degrees out here. A situation like this is taken very seriously. Luckily there was a citizen that walked by and heard the baby crying and then reported it to the employees who phoned police," said Sgt. Paul Hendry, LAPD.
LAPD officers and fire department paramedics responded within minutes. Paramedics say that the baby was lethargic when they took him from the car. He was transported to a hospital for observation.
The child's mother was inside Babies "R" Us shopping for a gift. Police estimate that she was gone for about ten minutes.
They arrested her and charged her with child endangerment. Officers say that she was distraught.
"Every summer you get reports that parents have left babies in vehicles on hot days like this, with the results ending tragically," said Sgt. Hendry.
Fortunately, in this case it did not end tragically. The young boy is in good condition.
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