Toddler Pulled Loaded Gun From Diaper Bag During Traffic Stop

A St. Paul, Minnesota, man is facing a couple of charges after a toddler he was looking after pulled a gun out of a diaper bag during a traffic stop on Monday.

The 37-year-old man is facing one count each of endangerment of a child by firearm and carrying a pistol without a permit. Both are gross misdemeanors.

Charges say officers pulled the man over on Thomas Avenue near Galtier Street in St. Paul because he was not wearing a seat belt. The man admitted to the officer that he did not have a driver's license, and apologized to the officer for not wearing his seat belt.

After doing some looking, the officer saw that the man had 3 warrants out for his arrest, so the officer took him into custody.

There were three kids in the back seat of the car, all of which were under the age of 3. Another officer on the scene noticed that one of the children wasn't buckled properly, and was crying.

A second child climbed down and started digging through a diaper bag on the floor to fetch a tissue for their sibling that had a runny nose. That's when the child turned toward the officer, holding a handgun.

The officer had the child put the gun down on the car seat and grabbed it. According to the criminal complaint, the gun didn't have a round of ammunition in its chamber, but it did have six rounds of ammunition in the magazine. When asked where the gun came from, the child allegedly pointed to the diaper bag.

The man told police he had the gun because of some death threats he'd received, and put the gun in the diaper bag when he was getting pulled over. His bail has been set at $5,000.