Mom Arrested After Girl, 3, Found Locked in Car at Escondido Mall

Escondido police arrested a 32-year-old mother after they discovered her 3-year-old child left locked in a car alone at Westfield North County mall in Southern California, officers said.

Myngan Le of Escondido was arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment and booked in the Vista Detention Facility.

Police said her daughter was found in the car on Wednesday afternoon, crying, sweating profusely and had skin that was red and flushed. The girl also had an “extremely elevated pulse,” police said. Police said the girl also was soaking wet.

The daytime temperature was 72 degrees, but police said temperatures were “significantly higher” inside the car.

Responding to a call just before 2 p.m., officers had to break the vehicle window open to pull the girl out, according to a news release from the Escondido Police Department.

The three-year-old girl was taken to Palomar Medical Center for treatment and later released to a family member. Child Protective Services was also notified of the matter, police said.

Police said the case was an example of why people should never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, calling it extremely dangerous.

“However short an errand may be, it is not worth the potential danger to a child’s health to leave them unattended inside a vehicle,” according to the news release prepared by Escondido police Sgt. Kevin Toth.

When NBC 7 went to the home of Le, a family member said "no comment."

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