Mankato Mother Charged After Daughter, 2, Fell Out Of Moving Car
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Mankato woman faces criminal charges after her 2-year-old daughter tumbled out of a moving car while in an unrestrained car seat -- which was captured on dashcam video and went viral online.
The Blue Earth County Attorney's office says 39-year-old Maimuna Kunow Hassan faces one gross misdemeanor count of child endangerment, one misdemeanor count of driving with a learner's permit without a licensed driver aboard, and a petty misdemeanor count of failing to properly restrain a child in a car.
The criminal complaint says a witness flagged down a Mankato police officer late Monday morning after seeing the child fall out of a Honda Civic. He told police the driver, Hassan, pull out of the Hy-Vee parking lot onto Minnesota Street, and then saw her rear passenger side door open, before the child in a car seat fell out.
An officer arrived to find the child sitting unbuckled in a car seat inside of the witness vehicle. Soon after, Hassan and another child walked up to the scene, both crying. Hassan then hugged her daughter. Some of Hassan's friends arrived and served as language interpreters for her and the officer.
Hass told police the rear door popped open and her daughter rolled out. She says the child was originally secured, and must have unbuckled herself. She drove about a block away, parked the car and then walked back to the scene.
Officers looked in her car and discovered the car seat did not have a LATCH strap, and the car seat chest straps were not fastened. The door that popped open was latched but not completely closed. There was also another secured car seat in the back of the vehicle.
EMTs were called to the scene to check out the child, who was uninjured.
If convicted, Hassan could face just over a year and prison and a $5,000 fine.
