PHOENIX — A Phoenix man is facing multiple felony charges after police say he left his four young children inside a hot car with the windows rolled up on Thursday afternoon.
The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Ascencio Largo, was arrested and charged with eight felony counts related to the incident, according to the Phoenix Police Department. The state Department of Child Safety is also conducting a separate investigation.
Officers responded around 3:40 p.m. to the area of 24th and Madison streets after receiving a report of several children left inside a parked vehicle. When officers arrived, they found the children in a turned-off car with all the windows closed.
Police said they quickly gained access to the vehicle, moved the children into an air-conditioned patrol car, and provided them with water. Phoenix Fire Department personnel soon arrived to assist and treated the children at the scene.
The children were later transported to a hospital as a precaution and are expected to recover.
Officers measured the temperature inside the vehicle at 125 degrees after opening the doors. The children’s internal body temperatures were reportedly close to 100 degrees, officials said.
Investigators located Largo inside a nearby business, where officers say he had been for nearly an hour prior to police arriving on scene.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no additional details have been released.
