A toddler who was thrown from an SUV during a high-speed chase in Lubbock, Texas, has been released from the hospital, police said Wednesday.
The 18-month-old girl “miraculously” only suffered minor injuries from the incident Tuesday, Lubbock Police Sgt. Jonathan Stewart said.
The girl was riding in a car with a group of teens who police accuse of being involved in an armed robbery in a bar parking lot that night.
Video footage taken from inside the police cruiser chasing the SUV shows the little girl being thrown as the SUV flips, but she immediately stands up and runs after the vehicle through what appears to be broken glass and metal scraps.
The video shows a young woman, identified by Stewart as the child’s mother, rushing from the car to the wobbly child, scooping her up and running away.
“I think anybody who looks at that video would be shocked to see the kid actually stand up and be walking around, and seeming OK,” Stewart said. “It’s pretty miraculous it was just minor injuries that the child sustained.”
A 17-year-old, two 16-year-olds and a 14-year-old were in the vehicle, Stewart said.
The 17-year-old was the child’s father, Kenny Shawn Jimenez, and one of the 16-year-olds was her mother, according to KCBD TV.
The chase began after 19-year-old Chelsea Betenbough was robbed at gunpoint in a bar parking lot, KCBD reported.
Stewart said the teens, who were driving a stolen SUV, were involved in the robbery and fled the scene. Two of them ran away after the vehicle stopped, Stewart said.
The teens have been charged with aggravated robbery, injury to a child, unauthorized use of a vehicle, evading arrest and organized crime, he said.
- News courtesy of KCBD.