Unlicensed Parent

A Scripps Ranch man was arrested early Friday morning, June 26, at Sharp Coronado Hospital on charges of felony child endangerment and driving under the influence.

San Diego police say that the man left his four-year-old child inside his van near Lindbergh Field on Thursday evening. Sources say that the man took a taxi to the Mira Mesa Applebee's restaurant, leaving his child behind.

Restaurant personnel called SDPD out of concern for the man's facial injuries and apparent state of intoxication. The suspect was taken to the hospital and examined for his injuries. The man's wife was notified that her husband had been taken to the hospital and she questioned the whereabouts of their child.

The child was later found running in the street near Lindbergh Field. The van, nearby, had been left running and with the emergency flashers on. After the child was found, he was taken to the hospital for examination. During the preliminary investigation, the van was impounded.

The man's injuries were determined to be non-life-threatening. The unharmed child was eventually released to the care of his mother, who had just returned from a military deployment.