Updated as of 3/9/2024 at 3 p.m. ET
Diana Shaffer, the woman who was dragged briefly on social media after she was seen driving with her son sitting in the open trunk of her vehicle, has broken her silence.
“I would never want to put him intentionally in danger. I am very active in my son’s life. My son is my biggest investment and he is the best thing that happened to me,” she said via WSB-TV.
Shaffer is facing charges for reckless conduct and a seat belt violation after police discovered the viral video. Shaffer confirmed to reporters that she was heading home from picking up a bassinet. She said she often picks up baby products to give away to single mothers in Gwinnett County via her organization Hanging On To Positive Expectations.
She told the outlet the bassinet wasn’t broken down and couldn’t fit in the backseat so she advised her son to sit on top of the folded down backseat and hold onto it as they rode.
She said her son wiggled through to the trunk, unbeknownst to her.
“I told him to sit right here and to hold the leg of the bassinet because the trunk was up. Him being a kid, he climbed up, and went and peeked his head up to look at the oncoming cars,” she said. “I want to thank [police and the person who recorded [the video] for the opportunity to be able to learn something from this. I know the potential harm [my son] could have been in and I would have to live with that for the rest of my life.”
Shaffer said she’ll never forget that night she spent in jail —- all stemming from a single video.
What Happened?
The viral video taken by another driver shows a grey Dodge with an out-of-state license plate riding down the road with the trunk opened, appearing to be propped up by a large white object inside the trunk. Next to that, a boy, who was confirmed to be 12-years-old, can be seen peeking out the trunk.
“Spotted in Gwinnett smh. Get that baby out the trunk!!!!” read the caption of the video posted to Instagram. Social media users were outraged in the comments, with many threatening to call the police and report the driver’s license plate.
The Gwinnett County Police Department said they were first notified of the video on Feb. 25. The following day, a detective with the Special Victims Unit spotted the same vehicle in the area, per FOX 5 Atlanta.
By Tuesday, police identified 36-year-old Shaffer as the driver and was located at her home in Duluth by their Flock Safety System. Officers say the mother told authorities that she had just bought a baby bassinet from an online advertisement and put her son in the trunk to hold it in place to take it home.
The distance between Shaffer’s home and where she picked up the bassinet is unclear, but any distance would be considered unsafe when riding in the trunk of a sedan.
As a result, she was arrested and charged with reckless conduct and a seat belt violation. She was booked into Gwinnett County Jail and her son was placed in temporary custody of a family member. She bonded out shortly after.