A Florida tow truck driver was arrested on Sunday after he towed a car that had a 4-year-old girl inside, police say.
To make matters worse, authorities say the child fell from the car as it was being taken away.
Sergio Suarez, 34, picked up the car outside the Bistro Creole Restaurant in the community of Sunrise, Florida. The girl’s father had just gone inside the eatery when he saw Suarez’s rig in action.
However, the driver’s attorney is claiming that the suspect thoroughly checked the car before taking it away.
According to an arrest report shared with Local 10 by the Sunrise Police Department, the father yelled at Suarez that his daughter was in the car, but was ignored.
As Suarez began to pull away, the father hit the driver’s window but again received no response.
When the distressed dad began sprinting after the truck, his daughter managed to open the rear driver’s side door.
She then fell from the car onto the road and sustained “superficial injuries.” A witness told Local 10 that he saw the girl’s father pulling his child out of the road to avoid traffic.
Meanwhile, Suarez fled from the scene but later returned when police contacted his employer and demanded to speak with him.
Suarez allegedly tried to keep the encounter brief by dropping off the father’s vehicle before leaving once again.
Police arrested him shortly after and charged him with child neglect.
The report claimed that he was arrested for his “failure to inspect the vehicle prior to towing, combined with his decision to continue driving despite being alerted that a child was inside, created a foreseeable and substantial risk of serious bodily harm or death.”
“His actions constituted culpable negligence and demonstrated a reckless disregard for the safety of a minor, directly resulting in injury to the child,” the report continued.
Suarez’s attorney, though, has disputed the charges.
“He advised me he checked the vehicle three times before he towed it,” the attorney said in court, according to WSVN. “There was no child inside.
“He also had a partner, whom he called the spotter,” the attorney continued. “He had the spotter also look at the vehicle, and that’s why he said he doesn’t know how this came about.”
Suarez has since been ordered to refrain from driving until further notice and has been told to avoid all contact with the victim.
He was also granted a $10,000 bond, according to court documents seen by Local 10.
The broadcaster was also given an update on the girl’s condition by her father, who said that she was “good” after being treated at the hospital.
The Independent has contacted the Sunrise Police Department for comment.
