On February 13, 2020, at approximately 7:45 a.m., a mother stopped at a donut shop located in the 9100 block of Bruton Road. She apparently left her car running with her 8 year old son inside. An unknown male suspect jumped in the car and drove off with the child inside. Responding officers contacted the dealership where the mother purchased the car and requested the GPS tracking information for the victim’s car. After receiving the GPS  coordinates, officers passed the information to Air1 who began to look for the vehicle.

At approximately 8:30 a.m.,  Air1 spotted the victim’s vehicle on Bruton Road where they began to follow. It appeared that the suspect realized that Air1 was following him and bailed out of the vehicle along with a female passenger. Patrol officers were able to locate the suspect and the female passenger in the 2000 block of Lewiston Avenue.  Patrol officers went to a nearby elementary school where they located the child unharmed. The child was reunited with his mother. The suspect, Black male 17-years-old, is expected to be charged with Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle (UUMV) and Kidnapping. This incident will be documented on case numbers 029217-2020 for the UUMV/Kidnapping and 029246-2020 for a minor accident the suspect was involved in immediately before he fled.

Many thanks to the officers assigned to the Southeast Patrol Division and Air1 for their outstanding police performance and conspicuous initiative.