DORAL, Fla. — A 28-year-old man was arrested Sunday after leaving his two children unattended on a street corner in Doral after driving erratically and crashing his car into a tree, authorities said.
According to an arrest report from the Doral Police Department, the suspect was identified as Shawn Samuels.
Police said officers were notified around 4:25 p.m. about two children who had been left alone near Northwest 114th Avenue and Northwest 50th Street.
When officers arrived, they found a 5-year-old boy and 14-year-old girl with a passerby who had stopped to help them, authorities said.
According to the arrest report, the 14-year-old told investigators she had been riding in a vehicle with Samuels after seeing him drinking alcoholic beverages at a local entertainment venue.
After leaving the venue, the girl said Samuels began driving erratically and struck a tree in the Doral/Sweetwater area.
According to police, the teenager told investigators she then got out of the vehicle with the 5-year-old boy because she was concerned for their safety.
The report states that Samuels drove away, leaving the two children unattended.
Officers later located Samuels nearby at the Trails & Tails dog park, located at 11645 NW 50th St., where police said he was vomiting. Investigators also observed multiple areas of exterior damage to his vehicle, authorities said.
Police said a Florida Highway Patrol trooper responded to the scene and conducted a DUI investigation.
According to the arrest report, the investigation determined Samuels had a blood alcohol level of .202 percent.
Samuels was arrested on two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm and was transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
His relation to the two children was not mentioned in the report, however a Miami-Dade County judge said in bond court Monday that both victims are Samuels’ children.
As of Monday afternoon, Samuels remained held at TGK on a $5,000 bond. The judge ordered that he not drive with the children in the car with him and he is only permitted to have supervised visits with his kids.
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