Child Abuse, Assault Charges Filed Against Pursuit Suspect; Bail Set At $100K
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Formal charges were filed Friday against a man accused of leading police on a pursuit with a child in the car.
Michael Callender, 29, faces one count each of assault with a deadly weapon, a car; child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death; and fleeing a pursuing peace officer's motor vehicle while driving recklessly.
Callender has also been charged with one misdemeanor count of battery in girlfriend or child's parent.
Prosecutors allege that on May 12, Callender took his 11-month-old daughter from her mother and almost ran the woman over when she tried to prevent him from leaving with the child. Prosecutors said Callender then led police on a pursuit that began in East Los Angeles and ended in South Los Angeles with the safe surrender of the toddler.
Callender faces a possible maximum sentence of more than eight years in state prison if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney's Office.
The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Bail has been set at $100,000.