The shocking moment an eighteen-year-old father abandons his two-week-old baby son in a mall parking lot and drives away

The little boy was born to parents Daniel Mitchell and Kalon Mitchell 

A father was arrested Monday afternoon after he was seen on surveillance video abandoning his newborn in a Suisun City strip mall, police said. The baby was then flown to a hospital in Oakland later in the night after officials noticed abnormalities in the infant's eye.

Daniel Stephen Mitchell, 18, was taken into custody in Fairfield a short time later after running from a car crash, Suisun City police said. He is accused of leaving his baby in the shopping center around 3:15 p.m.

The baby, who is 16 days old, was left in the parking lot of the strip mall in the 100 block of Sunset Avenue. The infant was rescued by the owners of nearby businesses.

Surveillance video from the Mega Smoke Shop in the Sunset Shopping Center captured a man driving up to a parking spot, taking a baby seat out of the car, placing it on the ground and then driving away.

"It's heartbreaking and something I've never seen in my life," Mega Smoke Shop owner Karan Grewal said.

Erick Keeton was with a client in his barber shop when he saw the car seat in the parking lot and walked over to it. That’s when he saw the baby still inside. Keeton then picked up the car seat, took it inside and called police.

"I noticed he had his binky, he was wrapped up in a blanket," Keeton said. "He had a diaper on and he appeared to be fine. His tongue was a little white, maybe like he just had a bottle recently."

Police said the newborn was taken to a hospital as a precaution and released into the custody of Child Protective Services.

Later Monday night, CPS noticed redness and had the baby checked out again by a doctor. The doctor decided to have the baby flown to Children's Hospital in Oakland.

While officers were still at the scene in the strip mall, Mitchell was involved in a car crash in Fairfield. He was taken to a hospital to get treatment for a shoulder injury.

After being identified as the newborn's father and interviewed by investigators, Mitchell was arrested. He was booked into jail on charges of felony hit-and-run, child endangerment, child abandonment, committing a felony while on bail and possession of suspected cocaine.

Officers interviewed the infant's mother about the incident. It appears she may not have known about the abandonment, and she is not considered a suspect at this time, police said.

Mitchell was previously arrested on June 27 by Suisun City police on multiple felony charges related to a burglary on Gray Hawk Lane. He was out on bail in connection to that crime when he was seen leaving the baby behind, police said.

The case is still under investigation.