TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Deputies in Flagler County, Florida, helped to free a 1-year-old who was locked inside a car in Palm Coast earlier this week, bodycam video shows.
A representative for the Flagler County Sheriff's Office said they received a 911 call Monday from the child's mother, who said the girl was locked inside the car in a Walmart parking lot. The temperature in Palm Coast at the time was hovering just under 80 degrees F, according to historical weather reports.
Deputies arrived on the scene to find a man and woman standing outside the vehicle.
The man told deputies that he was the one who placed the girl in the car and shut the door, realizing soon afterward that the doors were locked, and that he had left the keys inside.
The woman said the child had been locked in the car for "about 10 minutes."
"I'm gonna smash the window then," one of the deputies tells the woman, as seen in the bodycam footage.
"No no no," the woman replies, before the deputy tells her there's no other option.
"I don't know how far [the fire department] is out. She's been in there for 10 minutes," he says.
The deputy used Shatter Balls — small spiked metallic balls designed to shatter auto glass — to break through the back window of the car, a representative for the sheriff's office said on Facebook.
In the video, the deputy is seen using his baton to clear the rest of the shattered glass from the window before opening the car's doors.
The child, who could be heard crying in the car, was ultimately determined to be OK by the Palm Coast Fire Department "despite the exposure to extreme heat," according to the sheriff's office.
“Thanks to the quick response of our deputies, this child was safely rescued, and a tragic incident was avoided,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. "Although this was an accident, I would like to take this time to remind parents of the dangers of leaving a child in a parked car at any time, especially if it is not running. Heatstroke can happen very quickly, even if it does not seem that hot outside. Remember, if it has a heartbeat, do not leave them in your car.”
