A mother has been charged after police say she left her two small children in a car outside of a mall in Arlington, Virginia, and the car was towed with the toddlers still inside.
About 11 a.m. Tuesday, 26-year-old Chaukina Thomas, of Suitland, Maryland, came out of the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City and thought someone stole her car with her 1 and 3-year-old children inside. Thomas called 911.
"Outside the Macy's entrance … hysterical. I'm getting a report that the vehicle was taken and her baby is in the car," the 911 dispatcher said, according to audio obtained by News4.
Arlington officers quickly found out the car wasn't stolen, but it was towed because Thomas parked illegally, police said.
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"The children were inside car seats and from our preliminary investigation we have not identified information that the tow truck operator was aware that the children were inside the vehicle at the time of the tow," said Ashley Savage, spokesperson for the Arlington County Police Department.
The tow truck company, Advanced Towing, told News4 by phone that the children were in the back seat and they weren't visible. The company said the car was parked in a fire lane for a period of time.
Thomas was reunited with her children at the Advanced Towing lot. Police said Thomas left the car's air conditioning running when she went into the mall and the children were in good health.
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Thomas was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Advanced Towing has faced questions about its practices in the past. The News4 I-Team and News4's Julie Carey previously reported on several complaints involving Advanced Towing, including a dad whose truck was hooked with two kids inside it back in 2015.
