A mother was caught leaving two children under 5 in a running car while she went shopping in an Eastlake store.
Chula Vista say the woman left her 4-year-old and 8-month-old in the car with the engine on and the door unlocked.
She told police she was only going to be a couple minutes.
Chula Vista Police say 30-year-old Glenda Palafox went into the Target store on Telegraph Canyon Road Saturday for about ten minutes.
The threat of overheating wasn't a factor since the car’s air conditioning was left on officials. Officers say the biggest concern was that the door was unlocked with a key in the ignition.
“We've all seen the stories about kids who've been kidnapped, kids who have been unattended in cars, kids who have access to a car with the engine on…put it in gear. There's so many different possibilities,” said Capt. Gary Wedge.
Palafox was cited with misdemeanor child endangerment.
Any parent knows that bringing children into a store can be a difficult task but parents said there's never a circumstance when you should leave them in the car.
New mom Marissa Reyes said juggling kids and errands is a part of life.
“It is a lot of work, “Reyes said. “I actually just left my baby at home with my husband because I just wanted to run in and out of Target.”
“She should have been arrested. It's unimaginable leaving my kids even at 10 years old. We don't leave them in the car. It's too dangerous,” said San Ysidro resident Ernesto Ochoa.
Palafox was never booked or taken into the police station but rather, cited on the spot by officers.
“She was crying as you might expect. Nobody has said that she's a bad person but the choice she made that day was a poor choice,” Wedge said.