LAPD Officer Tackles Suspect Holding Infant

LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore on Tuesday announced an investigation into a police chase that ended with an officer tackling a suspect who was cradling his infant. The 10-month-old was hospitalized with a skull fracture, and investigators are working to determine if the baby was injured during the arrest or or the preceding car chase and crash.

According to Moore, the chase took place Friday night. Shortly before 11:30 p.m., LAPD Newton Division Officers were conducting a traffic stop when they saw a silver Jeep Wrangler "driving erratically while the driver was shouting out something that was unintelligible," Moore told the Police Commission.

When the officers drove toward the vehicle, its driver, 25- year-old Jose Hureta tried to flee only to crash into a large flatbed truck , Moore said. After the crash, Hureta fled on foot, police allege.

An officer ran after him and "used body weight to conduct a takedown on a grass lawn," Moore said. It was only afterward that the officer realized Hureta was holding his 10-month-old infant. The baby appeared uninjured but was taken to a hospital for "a precautionary evaluation," Moore told the commission. That's when doctors discovered that the infant had a fractured skull.

The hospital's medical staff was unable to determine the baby was hurt by the tackle or the car crash or prior to both incidents, Moore said.

Officers discovered an empty child carrier in the suspect's vehicle, which didn't have a base attachment and was not fastened to the vehicle. Narcotics and two loaded magazines were also allegedly recovered from the vehicle, but no gun was found, police claimed.

Authorities arrested Hureta and booked him on suspicion of felony child endangerment.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.