An alleged drunk driver pulled over by police confessed that he had three children stashed in his trunk during the stop, video showed.
Body camera footage released by the Westminster Police Department in Colorado captured the disturbing moment during a traffic stop on January 23.
The traffic stop started when an officer spotted a vehicle ‘driving recklessly’ around City Center Dr and 93rd Ave in Westminster, police said.
An officer quickly noticed the smell of alcohol, but the driver denied that he had been drinking.
He agreed to perform voluntary roadside sobriety tests, but abruptly changed his mind.
The driver was then placed in handcuffs, which is when he apparently made the stunning admission to law enforcement.
‘So you have three kids hiding in the trunk?’ the officer asked, to which the suspect replied yes.
The driver – who has not been not named – was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, reckless driving, failure to provide a valid insurance and three counts of child abuse.
The Westminster Police Department released body camera footage of a driver who was stopped for a suspected DUI and subsequently confessed to having three children in his trunk
The driver was arrested after he suddenly changed his mind about performing ‘some voluntary roadside maneuvers’
The video opened with the Westminster police officer, who identified himself as Officer Kester, asking the driver if he knew why he had been pulled over.
‘Uh, because I was acting like an idiot?’ he replied. His face was blurred out in the clip.
The officer said: ‘Yeah, huge in that parking lot. You’re lucky you didn’t hit somebody.’
He then asked whether the driver had been drinking, noting the scent of alcohol coming from the vehicle.
‘No, sir,’ the driver said. ‘It’s my Zyns.’
The officer sarcastically asked if the nicotine pouches were meant to smell like alcohol and called his response ‘interesting.’
The video then jumped ahead to the officer asking if the driver was ‘willing to do some voluntary roadside maneuvers today.’
‘Yes, sir,’ the driver could be heard responding.
The video showed when a separate police officer found the three kids in the trunk of the car
The driver was sarcastically asked whether it ‘would have been a good idea to say something before’ about the kids
Moments later, the video skipped again – this time showing the driver standing in front of his car.
‘You don’t want to complete these?’ the officer asked him. ‘All right, go ahead and put your hands behind your back.’
After another lapse, the officer asked the driver to confirm that he had three kids hiding in the trunk of his vehicle.
The footage then showed the heartwarming moment another officer opened the trunk and found the kids.
‘What are you guys doing?’ he asked.
The driver was escorted away by the officer wearing the body camera.
‘You didn’t think that would have been a good idea to say something before?’ he said.
Several bottles of alcohol were found inside the vehicle, according to law enforcement.
The incident happened around City Center Dr and 93rd Ave in Westminster, police said. The driver was stopped after an officer noticed him ‘driving recklessly’
The driver was taken to Adams County Jail after his arrest, though no further information was provided.
Child Protective Services were called after the stop and the children ‘were released to family,’ police said.
It was not immediately known whether the kids were related to the driver – or why they were with him.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Westminster Police Department for further comment.
