PHOENIX — A woman was arrested on DUI and child endangerment charges after she drove up against a fence with a baby in the back seat, police say.
Police responded to a report of a drunk driver on Monday and found a car up against a metal fence near 35th Avenue and Buckeye Road with 33-year-old Sussan Lira behind the wheel.
Officers smelled alcohol and saw two empty bottles in the car -- along with a baby girl in a broken car seat on top of the trunk, according to a probable cause statement police filed.
A witness told police he found the car against the fence with Lira slumped in the driver's seat. The witness told officers he removed the baby from the rear seat because he was concerned for her safety.
Firefighters responded to the scene and found bruises on the baby's back. She also had a full diaper, but the diaper was so old the waste was dry, firefighters told police.
Police said the driver's responses were slurred and she had to hold onto the car to steady herself when she was told to get out.
Officers asked her if she could stand on her own, and she said she could, but police had to hold her up, court documents say.
Police said she refused a breath test, and because she wasn't able to stand up on her own, officers couldn't conduct a field sobriety test either.
The woman and baby were taken to a local hospital, where Lira's blood was taken for testing. She was found to have a BAC of .15, according to court documents.
The Arizona Department of Child Services took custody of the girl.
Later, in an interview with police, Lira admitted that she drank two bottles of Mad Dog, and a friend warned her not to drive because of her intoxication.
Lira was charged with aggravated DUI, endangerment, and possession of open liquor bottles in a vehicle.
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