CHICKASHA, Okla. – It was a traffic stop police say they will never forget.
A wanted man flees the scene, leaving behind his car and a surprise for officers.
The man behind the wheel had a warrant out for his arrest when they pulled him over, but now he is facing a lot more trouble.
“He gets out of the car, and instead of interacting with the officers he immediately starts to walk away from the officers, of course they try to call him back,” Chickasha Major Elip Moore said.
Police say Michael Josiah Smith did not answer the police and took off running, but he left something behind in his car.
Authorities say they found an 18 month old baby alone with an open container of beer.
“He totally ran off and left the child sitting in the car by themselves,” Moore said.
Police say Smith abandoned his Mazda van along with the child and tried to dodge police as he ran down an alley, through bushes and thickets and around houses.
The police report says Smith took off his shirt and stuffed it in a trash can along the way, but despite that, officers eventually caught up with him and took him into custody.
“He’s looking at a number of charges being filed against him including child abandonment,” Moore said.
Police believe Smith may have been intoxicated, but he refused to take a test.
Officers say he did not have a driver’s license and is now facing several charges including a felony for child endangerment.
