The Special Victims Unit is investigating after Peel police smashed the window of a car in a Mississauga parking lot to rescue a child locked inside on Tuesday afternoon.
Posted May 26, 2021, 05:02AM EDT
The Special Victims Unit is investigating after Peel police smashed the window of a car in a Mississauga parking lot to rescue a child locked inside on Tuesday afternoon.
Police say they received a 9-1-1 call shortly before 12:30 p.m. from the area of Derry and Dixie roads.
The child was found locked in a white, four-door car parked in a lot on Tranmere Drive and officers say the child was “in distress.”
The child was assessed by paramedics and then taken to hospital.
Const. Danni Martini said the child was conscious when found but their current condition is unknown at this time.
A witness from a nearby real estate business tells 680 NEWS that a baby was in the back seat of the car. A man who parked beside the car could hear the child crying and went door-to-door at a nearby building to find the child’s parents.
When he could not locate the parents, the woman says they took a hammer from her office and were on their way to break the car’s window when police arrived.
“There were a lot of members of the business community here that were getting very, very anxious, but police arrived and intercepted. They attempted to open the vehicle, couldn’t and used the hammer to break the glass … and rescue the baby,” said the witness.
One officer suffered minor injuries during the rescue.
It is too early in the investigation to say whether any charges will be laid against the child’s parents. No further details about the child or its parents have been released in order to protect the child’s identity.
Peel police say members of the public are encouraged to call 9-1-1 if they see a child or pet locked in a hot car as the weather gets warmer.
