Man Uses Son, 13, As A Getaway Driver For Beer Run Turned Shootout, Terrifies His Child

Spending time with your kids is important. But Albuquerque’s Sergio Barrientos Sr. had the wrong idea on Saturday when he allegedly used his 13-year-old son as his getaway driver… after he drunkenly tried to shoot someone.

Unlike his father, the son isn’t facing any criminal charges even though he was the driver, simply because he was terrified and wasn’t involved in the shooting, Officer Simon Drobik told KRQE.

“The 13-year-old was shell-shocked. When we pulled him out of the car, he didn’t know exactly what was going on. It was a scary situation for him.”

The evening began shortly before 11 p.m. when Barrientos was allegedly drunk and in need of more alcohol. The boy told police that his father forced him to drive to nearby gas station to get booze. The 13-year-old soon became more than just a ride, but the getaway driver from a crime that could’ve been much worse.

When Barrientos, 33, exited the gas station, he allegedly got into a war of words with a customer in the parking lot, KOAT added. There are no details about what was said, but dad allegedly capped off the fight by going to his truck – where his son sat behind the wheel – retrieving his gun, and then attempting to shoot the man.

Luckily, he missed. According to the Associated Press, he told his son/getaway driver to hit he gas as he fire some more shots in the air.

And that’s when the law come into the mix. Albuquerque officers were on the lookout for drunk drivers at a checkpoint not far away at the time and say they heard up to eight shots fired, Officer Drobik told the station.

“What the officers thought immediately is that they were getting shot at. They took cover immediately and saw the vehicle speed way and they knew that vehicle has something to do with the gunshots.”

His getaway was short-lived. Officers pulled over the truck, finding his terrified 13-year-old son as the driver and an intoxicated father waiting to put up a fight.

That’s not the end of the story, however. As he was arrested, dad proceeded to unleash a barrage of profanities, including racial slurs and “f*** the police.” For good measure, he also tried to smash the window of a cruiser.

Now, Barrientos is facing child abuse and weapons charges. Evidently, such incidents aren’t uncommon, finished Officer Drobik.

“We have these again and again and what’s going to happen is an innocent person is going to get killed because of the irresponsibility of somebody who’s drunk, has a 13 year old driving to a place to get beer and starts firing random shots into the air.”

Though whether or not a child has been used as a getaway driver before is not known.

[Photo Courtesy KOAT]