Couple still sought after toddler discovered in car
Police continued searching Friday for a man and his girlfriend, whose toddler was found locked in a car in a Long Beach parking lot.
A passerby discovered 2-year-old Angelina Garcia asleep in her car seat about 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Aquarium of the Pacific, authorities said. Police believe that the girl, who was uninjured, had been alone in the car about 45 minutes.
After tracing the license plate on the older-model Nissan, police learned the identities of the mother and her boyfriend and that the child had a 5-day-old sister. Relatives have told police the three are safe, but the couple haven’t come forward.
Police learned that Juan Diaz and Crystal Nicole Baker, both 20, were returning to their car Wednesday night when they saw officers and firefighters trying to get the child out of the vehicle, said Sgt. David Cannan.
“They became very nervous,” he added.
A photo of Diaz shows what appear to be gang tattoos on his neck and head. It isn’t clear whether he or Baker or both had been with the child at the time she was abandoned, Cannan said.
Police plan to pursue charges against the couple for child abandonment, said Jackie Bezart, a spokeswoman for the Long Beach Police Department.
The toddler remains in the custody of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.
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