201910.09
0

21-year-old surrenders newborn baby at Koreatown fire station

by in News

LOS ANGELES — A woman surrendered her newborn baby at a fire station in Koreatown under California’s Safely Surrendered Baby Law, authorities said Wednesday morning.

The 21-year-old woman, who did not want to be identified, turned the child over to firefighters at Fire Station 13 on the 2400 block of Pico Boulevard about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

“At this point, the baby was given a full assessment and was transported to the hospital in good care,” LAFD Battalion Chief Scott LaRue told ABC7, which reported the child was born about two hours before being surrendered.

The Safely Surrendered Baby Law states that an infant can be safely surrendered voluntarily, by a parent or person with lawful custody within 72 hours of the birth.

Since its creation in 2001, 931 newborns have been surrendered in California through 2017, the most recent year with statistics available, according to the California Department of Social Services.