19 Kids in Hatchback Caught: Teacher Fined for Dangerous Driving
An African-American nursery teacher was fined after police discovered that she had piled 19 kids into her small, five-seater vehicle.
The incident took place in Pretoria, South Africa and was reported on by a local paper. Police were first alerted to the teacher by a person who witnessed the pile up while shopping at a nearby mall, according to reports.
The teacher, Melanie Minnie, was stopped a block away from Pretoria's Jacaranda shopping center. Police found six children in the trunk, at least three in the front seat, and another ten packed into the back, Mail Online reported.
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Photos taken through the car windows show nothing but small bodies without any space to look through to the other side of the car. The teacher stated that it was the first time that she had made such a journey and added that it would also be the last time.
The children were all okay after the incident. According to one officer, the children were initially excited about going on an adventure.
"They were excited at first, but after a while they started to get a more worried and cried," Nico van Heerden told according to Daily Mail. The teacher had already transported a group of 12 children and was allegedly returning with the remaining 19. Police spokeswoman Charmaine Louwrens said the teacher was fined an estimated $160, but no mention of an arrest was made.
According to the Afrikaans-language newspaper Beeld that originally reported on the incident, Minnie was startled to get pulled over.
