‘Desperate’ mom’s plea leads cops to hurt toddler after DUI crash, California police say

A mother “desperate for help” flagged down officers to say her young child was crying in pain on the phone, California police reported.

The woman told Morgan Hill police she couldn’t reach the child’s father the night of Sunday, July 2, police said in a news release.

Officers began trying to help the mother when she received another call from a stranger telling her where to find the father and child, police said.

An officer arriving at the scene in nearby San Martin found the bloodied father standing outside a crashed vehicle with two women holding the toddler, police said.

When the officer exited his patrol car to check on the child, the dad got back in his crashed vehicle and rammed the police car, the release said.

He was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, assault and child endangerment, police said. The child, who was not seriously hurt, was reunited with the mom.

Morgan Hill is a city of 45,000 people about 70 miles southeast of San Francisco.

This story was originally published July 4, 2023 at 10:29 AM with the headline "‘Desperate’ mom’s plea leads cops to hurt toddler after DUI crash, California police say."