Mother Held After Baby Is Tossed on Road : Abuse: The 22-year-old is being held on suspicion of attempted murder, and deserting and endangering the 10-month-old girl.

A 22-year-old woman was arrested in Oxnard after she tossed her 10-month-old baby out of her car onto Pacific Coast Highway and sped away, authorities said Wednesday.

Lori Carlson of Santa Ana was being held in the main jail in Ventura in lieu of $250,000 bail. She was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, child desertion and child endangerment.

Police said the woman told a witness that she did not want the baby girl anymore.

According to an employee of the Oxnard Lodge Motel who declined to give her name, the incident began when Carlson checked in Tuesday night and said that she and the baby’s father were fighting and that she wanted to get away from him. The boyfriend arrived later and the couple began arguing, the employee said.

During the dispute, Carlson hopped in her car and drove about 10 feet with the baby precariously balanced on the hood, according to the employee. Carlson stopped, put the baby in the car and drove off, the employee said.

Carlson was driving south near Statham Boulevard a short time later when she stopped and tossed the girl from the car, Oxnard police Sgt. Frank Devorick said. Jesus Garcia, 33, of Oxnard was driving behind Carlson and stopped to check the bundle on the roadside, police said. He picked up the baby, who was not seriously hurt, and followed Carlson to a frontage road off the highway, where he confronted her, according to police.

“She said to Garcia she didn’t want the child anymore before driving off,” Devorick said.

Garcia took the baby home and called police. Police obtained a description of Carlson’s car and tracked it to the Oxnard motel at 1156 S. Oxnard Blvd., where they found Carlson and a 2-year-old girl, Devorick said.

Both children are in the custody of the Ventura County Public Social Services Agency, police said.