Police: Man Leaves Baby in Hot Car While Going to Panorama Strip Club

Panorama City, CA A Van Nuys man has been charged with child endangerment after leaving his his 9-month-old daughter in a car while visiting a Panorama City strip club two miles away, according to police.

Auwin Dargin, 24, of Van Nuys was arrested Wednesday after passersby spotted a crying baby girl in a parked car near the parking lot at Synn Gentleman's Club at Roscoe and Sepulveda boulevards. According to NBC4, they opened the door to get the crying baby out and called 911.

"In the midst of them calling the police, the father came out from the strip joint and basically wanted to take the baby," LAPD Officer Charles Chacon told Channel 4.

The passers-by refused to let the man take the crying baby and stayed with her until officers arrived, NBC4 reported.

"He basically was not thinking, is what he said," Chacon said. "I thought it was unbelievable. I could not believe a father would put his child in that type of danger."

The girl was taken to a nearby hospital and was suffering from mild dehydration, Channel 4 reported.

The temperature at the time was reported to be 77 degrees, said Los Angeles police Officer Jane Kim.

"He parked and walked about two blocks to the club," Kim said. Dargin was arrested at 3:15 p.m. in the 8100 block of Langdon Avenue. He was booked on suspicion of felony child endangerment, and was held on $100,000 bail.

The child was released to the custody of her mother, Kim said.

City News Service contributed to this report.