‘I need help.’ Boy calls 911 to report drunk dad driving him to Las Vegas, CA cops say

A man was arrested after police received calls from his 11-year-old son saying he was intoxicated and trying to drive him to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, officials said.

At about 5 p.m. on Oct. 26, reports came in to the Los Angeles Communication Center from an 11-year-old boy who said his father was drunk and trying to drive them both to Las Vegas, according to a news release from California Highway Patrol.

The boy told dispatchers his father picked him up from a birthday party, according to KTLA. The dispatchers determined that the boy’s father had picked him up without permission, officials said.

“I need help…my dad is trying to take me to Vegas. He’s acting weird,” the boy told dispatchers, according to KTLA.

Three California Highway Patrol Public Safety Dispatchers assisted in helping find the car, according to the release.

During the call, the connection dropped, and the boy called 911 again, according to KABC. The dispatchers were on the phone with him for more than an hour.

Dispatchers told the boy to put his hand out of the car window and wave so officials could find the car, according to KABC.

At about 6:10 p.m., Rancho Cucamonga Area California Highway Patrol “located the vehicle on northbound Interstate 15, near Baseline Road,” according to the release.

The 32-year-old father was arrested in connection to driving under the influence, according to the release. Highway Patrol officers ”assumed protective custody of the child.”

This story was originally published November 28, 2022 at 1:24 PM with the headline "‘I need help.’ Boy calls 911 to report drunk dad driving him to Las Vegas, CA cops say."