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SOUTH SALT LAKE — Police are crediting two employees and a customer from a Taco Bell in South Salt Lake for saving an infant from danger in the drive-thru line on Monday.
South Salt Lake police spokesman Gary Keller said two employees noticed a car holding up the drive-thru line at the Taco Bell on 2168 S. State St. around 7:30 p.m.
“They went to investigate the situation and found an intoxicated male that had passed out in the drive-thru with a 9-month-old infant in the vehicle,” Keller said.
The driver of the 2008 BMW sedan stopped his vehicle before reaching the drive-thru window and blocked the lane for a considerable amount of time, police said.
Two Taco Bell employees became concerned and went out to the vehicle. That’s when the employees discovered the driver of the vehicle was slumped over the steering wheel and was initially unresponsive.
“They reported a strong smell of alcohol,” Keller said.
The employees and an unidentified customer with a medical background reported they could hear a baby crying in the vehicle. An infant boy was discovered in the rear seat in a child seat partially concealed by a large stuffed animal, police said.
With the vehicle still in gear and the driver slumped over the wheel, the employees and customer removed the infant from the vehicle, fearing the impaired driver would wake up and drive away. The driver was awakened and encouraged to park the vehicle and go inside the restaurant to make arrangements to have someone pick up the infant. Instead, the driver sped away leaving the infant behind, police said.
The infant was returned to his family unharmed.
The 2008 BMW was located a few blocks away unoccupied and was impounded.
Police are still trying to identify the driver of the vehicle and the investigation is ongoing.
