LOS ANGELES -- A woman who was suspected of abandoning her infant at a Subway restaurant in West Covina after giving birth there was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Monday, police said.
A West Covina Subway location where a newborn was found abandoned is shown on Feb. 15, 2016. (Credit: KTLA)
A customer noticed a bleeding woman leaving the restroom and went into the facility, police said.
There, the customer found the newborn boy in the toilet of the sandwich chain’s restroom at 2540 S. Azusa Ave. shortly after 8:30 a.m. and alerted employees, who in turn called authorities, according to the West Covina Police Department.
The child was found crying, upright and half-submerged in the water, police Cpl. Rudy Lopez told KTLA.
He was full term, and had his umbilical cord still attached, Lopez said. The placenta was found in the trash can.
The little boy was taken in critical condition to Queen of the Valley Hospital, Lopez said. The infant was in neonatal intensive care, Patton said.
The mother, identified as a 38-year-old transient named Mary Grace Trinidad, was believed to have given birth at the Subway, but it wasn't immediately known if the infant was born directly into the toilet, Lopez said. He described the scene as quite bloody.
A worker cleans up after a newborn was found in the toilet of a West Covina Subway bathroom, shown, on Feb. 15, 2016. (Credit: KTLA)
About 20 minutes after the baby was discovered, the mother was arrested close to the Subway, according to police Lt. Dennis Patton. She left a trail of blood, and was found in an alleyway behind a nearby Pep Boys.
Trinidad was booked on suspicion of attempted murder and child endangerment. She had been wanted on a drug-related warrant, Lopez said.
She was also hospitalized, as a precaution, the corporal said.
Employees at the Subway did not want to speak to news media about the incident. Workers at a neighboring restaurant said Trinidad was well known in the area and would ask for food every day.
Newborns 72 hours or less old may be surrendered to authorities without criminal repercussions under California state law. In Los Angeles County, infants can be safely surrendered at fire stations and hospitals.
