GLENDALE, Arizona — Two young children were walking through a scorching Phoenix-area neighborhood in 108-degree heat for three hours — not because their parents had no choice, but because of the choices their parents made.
May and Ryan Mullin were arrested Sunday afternoon near State Farm Stadium after officers responded to a report of an intoxicated man stumbling through the street with a woman and two small children.
The situation was worse than the call suggested.
A Stranger Tried to Help. It Did Not Go Well
A bystander who saw the family tried to offer them a ride out of the brutal heat.
Ryan Mullin responded by becoming aggressive, hitting her car. He then fell — striking his own face on the vehicle.
Court documents describe him as “extremely intoxicated.” May Mullin was also visibly intoxicated and had been vomiting outside.
She told officers they had been walking for three hours and were headed to an Arizona Cardinals event.
Officers Found a Father Gripping His Child’s Wrist
When police arrived, Ryan Mullin was holding his child by the wrist and refused repeated requests to let go.
Body camera footage released by Glendale police captures the moment officers had to physically remove the child from the situation.
May Mullin was found nearby with the other child. She accepted an officer’s offer of a ride — something the family’s own bystander had offered and been attacked for suggesting.
Both parents were taken into custody. Ryan Mullin faces charges of disorderly conduct and child abuse. May Mullin faces a charge of child abuse.
The children were removed safely from the scene.
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