SOUTH SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Nov. 21, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Police in South Salt Lake City are praising the quick thinking of some local fast food workers — and at least one customer — who they say snatched a baby from the car of a suspected drunken driver just seconds before he sped away, leaving the child behind.
Investigators told Gephardt Daily the patrons were dining at the Taco Bell at 2165 S. State St. around 7:15 p.m. when they noticed a man passed out behind the wheel of a white BMW as he waited in line at the drive-thru window.
Gary Keller, public information officer for South Salt Lake Police, said workers, and one of patrons — who happened to be nurse — smelled the strong odor of alcohol as she approached the car with a restaurant employee at her side. It was then they made a startling discovery — a nine-month-old toddler in the backseat of the car. According to Keller, they managed to grab the child just as the driver regained consciousness and sped from the Taco Bell parking lot.
Minutes later, police found the BMW abandoned less than a mile away near Whitlock Avenue and State Street. The driver, who Keller said is known to law enforcement with a history of alcohol abuse, was nowhere to be found.
The toddler — who police say was unscathed — was reunited with his mother and grandfather.
Police say the suspect will likely face child endangerment charges.
