Inset: Kabamba E. Kyalangalilwa (Detroit Police Dept.). Background: The area in Michigan where Kyalangalilwa drunkenly crashed his motorcycle while riding with his 1-year-old, authorities say (Google Maps).
A 35-year-old father in Michigan allegedly left his 1-year-old daughter with strangers for hours at a party before returning drunk, placing the toddler unsecured on his motorcycle, crashing at high speed and then fleeing as the injured child lay at the scene.
Kabamba E. Kyalangalilwa is charged with two counts of child abuse as well as one count each of child abandonment, reckless driving, and operating while license suspended, revoked or denied, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, the charges stem from a June 28 incident on Detroit's west side.
Authorities allege Kyalangalilwa brought his daughter to a party on Braile Street around 11:30 a.m. before taking the girl to a neighboring home and asking people he did not know to let her swim with their children while he returned to the party, Detroit NBC affiliate WDIV reported.
About five hours later, Kyalangalilwa allegedly came back intoxicated while operating a motorcycle. He then retrieved his child from the strangers and placed her on the bike without securing her, according to prosecutors.
Authorities say he sped away before losing control of the motorcycle, sending both himself and the toddler sliding across the roadway. The girl struck her head on a curb and suffered cuts to her head, face and legs before being taken to a local hospital for treatment, Detroit CBS affiliate WWJ reported.
Rather than remain with his injured daughter, Kyalangalilwa allegedly attempted to escape in another vehicle before abandoning it and fleeing on foot, prosecutors said.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said the allegations stand apart from nearly anything she has encountered during her career.
"I do not recall in all of my years as a prosecutor and judge ever seeing a set of facts like this," Worthy said in a statement. "The alleged conduct of this defendant was way beyond atrocious and horrendous. This poor baby deserved the appropriate care, dedication, and simple human decency. It is miraculous that she is still among the living."
Detroit police later asked the public to help locate Kyalangalilwa and urged him to surrender at a city precinct, according to WWJ. Child Protective Services also launched an investigation.
Kyalangalilwa was arraigned July 15 in Detroit's 36th District Court, where a judge initially set bond at $100,000.
At a July 21 bond redetermination hearing, however, the court lowered his release conditions to a $25,000 personal bond while requiring him to wear a GPS tether and comply with a nightly curfew, court records show.
He is scheduled to return to court Aug. 20 for a preliminary examination.
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