Arizona man allegedly locked 4 children in car at 51°C & went shopping in sex toy store for 1 hour

A father in Phoenix, Arizona in the U.S. left his four young children in a parked car while he browsed a sex shop for nearly an hour.

Ascencio Largo, 38, was arrested last Thursday (Jul. 24) on four counts of child abuse and four counts of endangerment. 

Heat distress

The New York Post reported that the incident, which took place near 24th Street and Madison Street, saw officers rescuing four children aged 2, 3, 4 and 7. 

All four children had skin discolouration and were sweating profusely, symptoms of heat distress.

With a temperature of around 51°C inside the car, the children's internal temperatures were all around 38°C.

No remorse

Police secured all four children from the vehicle safely and immediately gave them water before sending them to a local hospital in an air-conditioned SUV.

They then contacted Largo who was still inside the sex shop called The Adult Shoppe, described as "an adult arcade with communal viewing theatres and private rooms, providing a unique and discreet environment for sexual exploration."

Largo allegedly did not respond even when police entered the store and called out to him many times.

He allegedly also tried to pretend it was not his car.

The court case

According to Fox 10 Phoenix, Phoenix Police Sgt. Rob Scherer said that this incident was a call "that all officers hate to get; multiple children left in a car unattended, cars not on, doors locked."

Maricopa County Commissioner Jane McLaughlin said during Largo's court appearance that the fact that Largo allegedly did not respond when police called out to him at the shop and tried to pretend it was not his car "just indicates a strong level of reckless culpability of knowing."

Court documents stated that police noticed Largo's breath had a smell of alcohol.

Police also said Largo's vehicle did not have an ignition interlock installed even though his driver’s license had such a requirement in place. 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, about 37 children a year die from heatstroke due to being left or trapped in a car.

Top photos via Fox 10 Phoenix and Phoenix Police Department