A screenshot of this viral video clip shows a 12-year-old boy hanging on to a baby bassinet in the open trunk of a moving vehicle in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Police arrested his mother Diana Denise Shaffer for reckless conduct. (Gwinnett County Police Department)
Authorities arrested a mother after a viral video showed her 12-year-old son in an open truck as she drove her car.
The Gwinnett County Police Department in Georgia received a tip about a video that apparently showed the boy sitting in an open trunk of a moving car on the road. Cops weren’t sure when the video was filmed or exactly where it happened although “Gwinnett County” is mentioned. The car had an out-of-state license plate. There was a large object inside the trunk along with the boy.
A detective on Monday used street cameras to find the same car traveling in the area if Pleasant Hill Road and Shackleford Road in Duluth on Sunday. The video showed the boy sitting in the trunk.
The detective found the registered owner of the car — later identified as 36-year-old Diana Denise Shaffer — and met with her at her home on Tuesday. Shaffer told the detective she had just bought a baby bassinet from an advertisement she saw online but it couldn’t fit in her trunk with the hatch closed. So she had the boy hold the bassinet in place as she drove with the hatch open, cops said. They made it home safely and the boy was not hurt.
Officers arrested Shaffer for reckless conduct, issued her a citation for a seat belt violation and took her to jail. Her son was temporarily placed with a family member until she bonded out of jail Wednesday morning.
Sgt. Michele Pihera told local ABC affiliate WSB that Shaffer learned from the experience.
“In light of everything that happened including her arrest, she now knows that all persons under 18 need to be properly restrained in the vehicle,” Pihera said.
