Arizona parents allegedly walked two kids for 3 hours in 108-degree heat. Then a stranger tried to help — and things turned violent

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Arizona couple Ryan and May Mullin are facing felony child abuse charges after allegedly walking their two young children, ages 2 and 4, for three hours in 108-degree heat. The incident took place Sunday, Aug. 9, in Glendale, Arizona, and two separate encounters with witnesses — one involving a police officer — allegedly confirmed that the couple were “stumbling and appearing extremely intoxicated.” According to People, the family had just left State Farm Stadium in Glendale, where they had gone to see the Arizona Cardinals’ annual Red and White Practice. Court documents reveal that the couple left the stadium on foot with their two children. Instead of taking immediate transportation or seeking shelter from the harsh desert conditions, the family allegedly walked under the hot sun for approximately three hours. The parents are believed to have provided the two toddlers with only two bottles of water despite the extreme heat. There was even greater concern when one of the bottles was found to still be half full. Ryan was acting agressively Around 6 p.m., the Glendale Police Department received emergency calls from a concerned female motorist near 91st Avenue and Montebello Avenue. The witness said she was alarmed by the physical state of a family she had seen walking along the road while she was still in her car. She was the first to note that the parents appeared heavily intoxicated and that May, specifically, was vomiting on the side of the road. Concerned about the toddlers in particular, the witness said she offered the parents refuge in her car, but things didn’t exactly turn out as she expected. Ryan allegedly rejected her offer aggressively and told her they didn’t need any help. The confrontation then escalated, with Ryan allegedly approaching the woman and punching her car. The reaction caused only minor damage to the vehicle, but the force of the punches allegedly caused Ryan to injure himself. He fell over, injured his face and began bleeding profusely. Worse still, the witness also reported that Ryan stumbled and fell directly onto one of his children. A Glendale police officer arrived shortly after the confrontation as Ryan and one of his toddlers were attempting to cross San Juan Avenue. The officer reportedly issued multiple verbal commands ordering Ryan to stop, all of which he allegedly ignored. View this post on Instagram The officer was forcd to use physical force According to Upper Michigan’s Source, when the officer ran to intercept them, Ryan grabbed his child tightly by the wrist and refused to let go. The officer said Ryan smelled strongly of alcohol and was acting aggressively. The police officer said he had to use physical force to resolve the standoff, and when Ryan finally released the child’s wrist, the officer handcuffed him and took him into custody. May was also arrested and was likewise found to be heavily intoxicated. During their initial appearance, a Maricopa County judge ordered that neither parent have unsupervised contact with the children. Ryan and May Mullin were released as they await their court appearance, but they will also be required to undergo random drug testing during the case.