Mother arrested after 4-year-old hit by car while wandering on street, police say

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (WAFB/Gray News) – A mother was arrested after her four-year-old child was hit by a car while wandering the streets after “one of many” attempts to escape from her home.

Shannon Moore, 28, was arrested Wednesday afternoon on charges of inadequate parental supervision and child abandonment in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

On Friday, officers were dispatched to Florida Boulevard for a report of a 4-year-old boy wandering in the middle of the road. Officers patrolled the area but were unable to locate the child. Minutes later, an officer was flagged down by a driver who had struck a young boy who ran in front of her vehicle, according to arrest records.

According to arrest records, the child was conscious and stable when he was taken to the hospital with a skull fracture, a femur fracture and multiple lacerations to his head and body.

Authorities contacted the boy's mother while he was being treated for his injuries.

During the course of their investigation, it emerged that the day before the boy was hit, an officer had been called to Wooddale Boulevard because a boy was wandering in the street. According to the documents, state police found the mother standing in a parking lot with an unidentified person. The mother told police that the child escaped several times and broke the lock. She said the child was able to open the apartment door and walk out through the fenced area.

The Ministry of Children and Family Services has been asked to assist in the investigation.

According to arrest records, the mother initially told police the child opened the sliding door and ran out of the apartment. The mother said she chased after him but was unable to catch him. She told police she waited 30 minutes before calling police for help. Officers also reported that they noticed the child's diaper appeared to have not been changed in days.

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