Baby Passed Out of Car During Chase; 2 Held

A woman who handed her baby out a car window to two people as her boyfriend led sheriff’s deputies on a chase through South Los Angeles was arrested Wednesday along with the boyfriend.

The pursuit began just before noon in Walnut Park when deputies came across a sport utility vehicle stopped in the middle of East 90th Street, authorities said. When the driver saw the deputies, he sped away. At first, the chase proceeded slowly through a South Los Angeles neighborhood.

At one point, his passenger handed her 10-month-old boy out a window to two people who approached the vehicle, which then sped off with the woman and her 2-year-old daughter still inside, deputies said. After that, the man started driving faster, ran a red light and went against traffic to evade his followers, deputies said.

The driver abandoned the SUV at Florence and Eastern avenues in Bell Gardens, then tried to commandeer another by banging on windows and trying to open the doors of at least four vehicles at an intersection.

The woman appeared to try to go with him, but he then grabbed her around the neck, her daughter between them, and appeared to use her as a shield, deputies said. Deputies tackled him and pulled the woman away.

Both children were unharmed and in protective custody, Deputy Ron Bottomly said.

Authorities identified the man as 27-year-old Carlos Regalado, also known as Faustino Corona, of Los Angeles. The woman was identified as Grisela Prado, 27, also of Los Angeles, said Deputy David Cervantes.

Regalado was booked on suspicion of carjacking, felony evading and child endangerment. Prado was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment. Both were held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

“Right now it’s a boyfriend-girlfriend thing,” Cervantes said. “We know they’re her kids, but we don’t know if they’re his.”