'I need help': Los Angeles boy, 12, desperately calls 911 while his drunk dad drives him to Las Vegas

Ayden called the authorities and spoke to them for more than an hour before they were able to spot and rescue him

PUBLISHED NOV 25, 2022

If you or anyone you know suspects child abuse, you are urged to immediately call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential and the hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In a horrifying incident, a 12-year-old boy frantically called 911 after his father decided to drive him to Las Vegas from Los Angeles while he was drunk on October 26.

"I need help. My dad is trying to take me to Vegas. He's acting weird," the boy can be heard telling the dispatchers at the CHP dispatch center in Los Angeles. Luckily, they reached him in the nick of time and rescued him after he and his reportedly inebriated father arrived in Inland Empire. Ayden's father picked him up from a birthday celebration without anyone's knowledge under the pretence that they were going to a park but later, they headed for Vegas, as per ABC7 News.

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Ayden was heard trying to describe the vehicle his father was driving and he reportedly said, "Raider plates in the front and in the back." However, when he tried to give them the proper license plate number, a letter was missing, making it tougher for the authorities to track him down and rescue him.

Dispatcher April Gingras reportedly said, "Everything was kind of hectic. We're trying to get officers in position. We're trying to get the information to everybody."

As they tried to help Ayden, the call dropped. However, he was able to contact them again. After speaking to them for more than an hour to help them reach him, they told Ayden to to wave from the vehicle so that they could spot him. Finally, his father stopped off the 15 Freeway, close to Baseline Road, and police apprehended him. The man was reportedly wearing a Raiders football helmet at that time.

Ayden was finally with his family while his father now faces child abuse and DUI charges. Laurie Watson, a dispatcher, reportedly said, "We did a great thing. And we're just happy."