NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Five previously unconscious children are now at the center of a North Charleston Police investigation that unfolded in a strip mall parking lot on Thursday.
Harve Jacobs with the North Charleston Police Department said the children were discovered around 11:30 a.m. when officers were called to 2000 McMillan Avenue regarding numerous children "unresponsive" in a vehicle. By the time officers arrived, the department said all five of the children had been carried into a nearby business.
There, both residents and officers provided aid until North Charleston Fire and Emergency Medical Services arrived at the scene. The children were rushed to an area hospital for treatment and all five are said to now be stable though a specific medical condition was not provided.
Further investigation and tests uncovered a possible cause for their conditions - dangerous levels of carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide - two byproducts of car exhaust. The gases were able to build up to dangerous levels in just five minutes during tests. At this point, investigators believe a vehicle malfunction was to blame.