My Baby Was Choking! I Had To Speed To The Hospital! Why Are You Arresting Me?

A St. Louis area dad arrested trying saving his baby.

The St. Louis metropolitan area is probably one of the most segregated regions in the Midwest.

Centreville, Illinois is a city in St. Clair County. It was once a village but incorporated part of the county and is considered one of the poorest communities in the state. It is the poorest community in Metro St. Louis. The population is 5,300 residents. The city is 95% Black. The average household income for the city is $17,000.

An Illinois man who was arrested for violating traffic laws while rushing his daughter to the hospital was helped by "Good Samaritans."

Darius Hinkle is classic dad material. He was arrested by the Centreville Police after he led them on a chase through the city at 100 mph.

He was doing what's right despite the law. His little girl was choking on a penny. He couldn't perform the Heimlich maneuver so he decided to take his baby to the hospital.

Several cop cars were on his tail when they arrived at Touchette Regional Hospital.

"The first thing in my mind was to get her to the hospital," said Hinkle.

The law arrested him for not having a valid driver's license, fleeing and eluding, failure to control and willfully endangering traffic conditions. Each charge could be consider a misdemeanor or a felony.

Hinkle is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Nonetheless, his daughter was treated and released. Her mother Donecia Pittman was about to bail her boyfriend out of the county lockup. She found out that the nurses and doctors at the hospital had decided to help pay for his get out free card.

"I can't thank them enough," said Hinkle.

The names of those who helped Hinkle chose to stay anonymous but they believe that Hinkle did the right thing and many online slammed the Centreville Police for not sympathizing with a desperate father who feared his daughter could have died in his arms.

Pittman said officers instructed them to exit the vehicle and put their hands up.

"I got out, put my hands up and yelled, and I told the police, ‘My baby is choking.’ And I told them multiple times that she was choking. They were just worried about the fact that we were speeding," Pittman said.

The mother shared her experience on social media.






Black parents being pulled over by the law. They tried to save the life of their child and were arrested for it. Just like that incident 10 years ago. Ryan Moats was rushing through traffic lights and ignored police order to pull over.

Moats was rushing to see his wife Tamishia's mother, Jonetta Collinsworth in her last hours. She was dying of breast cancer and the doctors told the former football star that he better get there fast.

He was with Tamishia and other family members when they rushed to Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano. The officer who pulled Moats over was named Robert Powell. He stopped Moats and held the football star for nearly 20 minutes. By the time the nurse confirmed the story, Collinsworth had died.

Moats was issued a ticket and summoned to court.

He slammed the Dallas Police Department. On the actions of the cop.

"I really don't know. All I know is what he did was wrong. I mean, he stole a moment away from me that I can never get back. I'm really not the judge on what should happen to him. I think maybe his superiors and the Dallas Police should handle what should happen to him."

The Dallas Police issued an apology. The actions lead to Powell being placed in the freezer and a no biding out. That means he was forced to resign without being fired out the cannon.

Today marks another example of people of color being harassed by the police.