A Phoenix woman is facing charges of aggravated DUI and child endangerment after she crashed her vehicle into a fence while her daughter, who was in a broken car seat, was in the vehicle with her.
Fox 13 reported on its website that the incident happened on Monday, April 13th, when Sussan Lira, 33, of Phoenix, Arizona, crashed her car into a chainlink fence at around 3:30 p.m.
According to a statement issued by the Memphis Police Department, a spokesperson said that officers responded to the scene of the crash noted the strong scent of alcohol when they approached the vehicle. When questioned by police, Lira had slurred speech and displayed other indications that she had been driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.
When asked to get out of her vehicle, officers noted that Lira was unable to stand on her own and that she refused a Breathalyzer test. While searching the car, officers found two empty alcohol bottles inside.
Eyewitnesses to the crash said that that a child’s car seat was removed from the vehicle and placed on the back end of the car. Reports indicate that the child’s car seat had not been buckled into the vehicle. Members of the emergency response team noted that the child was wearing a dirty diaper at the time.
Lira was arrested on suspicion of DUI and taken into custody while the child was taken into custody by the state’s Department of Child Services.
