SoCal boy, 12, calls 911 when his father is allegedly drunk driving with him

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A terrified 12-year-old boy called 911 after his father gave him a lift without notice and allegedly attempted to drive drunk from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

“I need help. My dad is trying to take me to Vegas. He’s acting weird,” the boy can be heard saying to the dispatchers during the hectic phone call.

Authorities were able to rescue the boy, but only after his allegedly drunk father reached the Inland Empire.

The incident happened on October 26th. The CHP dispatch center in LA received a call from 12-year-old Ayden, who believed his father was driving while drunk. The man reportedly picked up Ayden from a birthday party without telling anyone he took the boy. Ayden was initially told that they were going to the park.

Ayden can be heard on the 911 call telling the dispatcher the type of car his father drove and describing how it has “Raider plates front and back.” He tried to give them a license plate, but it was missing a letter, making it difficult for dispatchers to find the car.

“Everything was pretty hectic. We’re trying to position officials. We’re trying to get the information out to everyone,” dispatcher April Gingras said, recalling the incident.

As dispatchers helped Ayden, the call was dropped, but the boy was able to call 911 again. Dispatchers spent more than an hour on the phone with Ayden to get information on the location of the moving car.

At one point, they told Ayden to put his hand out of the car and wave so officers could find the car. That’s when Ayden’s father stopped in the Baseline Road area off the 15 freeway. The father was wearing a Las Vegas Raiders football helmet at the time, authorities say.

The boy was returned safely to his family.

“We did a great job,” said dispatcher Laurie Watson. “And we’re just happy.”

The boy’s father was arrested and faces charges of DUI and child molestation.