On the third day of Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the Torrance Police Department hit the distracted-driving jackpot.

Not only do cops say that 29-year-old Hawthorne resident Shawndeeia Bowen was texting while driving on Tuesday afternoon, but she was allegedly doing so while carrying her baby daughter on her lap. With a suspended license, no less.

Gen-Y multitasking at its ugliest! And as for the driver's other two kids:

“… The woman's 4-year-old daughter was not wearing a seat belt, and her 2-year-old son was in an unsecured car seat,” reports the Larry Altman for the Daily Breeze.

Bowen's apparent Facebook profile is filled with photos of her children, ironically taken via cellphone. She obviously loves them to pieces — just couldn't seem to get the traffic-safety thing together.

After a fellow driver on the 405 called the cops on Bowen for allegedly texting with her phone against the steering wheel, she exited the freeway and was pulled over at Hawthorne and Torrance Boulevards. Police then arrested the 29-year-old for child endangerment.

DMV records obtained by the Breeze show Bowen had a rocky driving record. Her previous citations reportedly include:

  • having a defective windshield or rear window
  • having no insurance
  • failing to use safety belts
  • failing to use child restraints
  • failing to stop behind a limit line
  • making an illegal turn against a posted sign
  • driving with defective lighting equipment
  • driving with a missing license plate
  • driving with a suspended license

Ouch.

The young woman on Facebook who looks to be Bowen lists herself as a graduate of Cabrillo High School in Long Beach and a native of Bakersfield.

[@simone_electra / swilson@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.