Man busted with meth, ill child

A 32-year-old reputed gang member was arrested just after midnight Tuesday on suspicion of selling methamphetamine in Glendale with his ill 2-year-old son in tow, police said.

Eric Lopez of El Monte was taken into custody on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine for sale and child neglect, according to Glendale police.

Police said the child was ill and was not properly dressed for cold weather, so paramedics took him to Huntington Memorial Hospital. When officers detained Lopez, they also noticed the boy had defecated on himself and smelled like vomit, police said.

Officers stopped Lopez when they spotted him about 12:43 a.m. pushing his son in a Target shopping cart at Adams Street and Lomita Avenue, according to police. He reportedly told officers he found the shopping cart and placed his son inside of it because wasn’t walking fast enough.

Lopez, who was wearing gang paraphernalia and had the gang’s initials tattooed on the back of his head, reportedly left a friend’s home near Glendale Avenue and Broadway, where he was drinking alcohol, police said.

Lopez allowed officers to search his pant pockets, where they found discovered 10 small individually-packaged plastic bags containing methamphetamine, according to police.

Lopez denied any intention to sell the drugs, claiming he bought the packages for himself earlier that night on Verdugo Road for $100, according to police.

The boy was taken into the custody of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. Officials said the boy’s grandmother was his only legal guardian.

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