Toddler pulled gun from diaper bag during St. Paul traffic stop, charges say

A St. Paul, Minnesota, man is facing charges after a toddler in his care pulled a gun from a diaper bag during a traffic stop Monday afternoon, court documents show.

The 37-year-old man is facing one count each of endangerment of child by firearm access and carrying a pistol without a permit. Both are gross misdemeanors.

Charges say officers pulled the man over on Thomas Avenue near Galtier Street in St. Paul because he was not wearing a seat belt. The man admitted to the officer that he did not have a driver's license and apologized for not wearing his seat belt.

Police learned the man had warrants for his arrest, and he was taken into custody.

There were three kids in the back seat of the car, all of them under the age of 3, according to the complaint. Another officer noticed one of the children was not properly buckled and was crying. A second child climbed to a diaper bag on the floorboard to grab a tissue for their sibling with a runny nose. That's when the child turned toward the officer, holding a handgun.

The officer had the child put the gun down on the car seat and recovered it. Charges say the firearm did not have a round of ammunition in its chamber, but had six rounds of ammunition in its magazine. When asked where the gun came from, the child allegedly pointed to the diaper bag.

The man told police he had the gun for protection because he had been receiving death threats, adding that he put the gun by the diaper bag because he had been pulled over, the complaint alleges.

Charges say the man does not have a permit to carry a firearm.

His bail has been set at $5,000.