A thief drove several kilometers behind the wheel of an SUV stolen from a mother on Tuesday before realizing that he had also kidnapped a 2-year-old toddler whom he quickly abandoned in the street.
It all started late Tuesday when the mother called 911 to report that her vehicle had been stolen and her son kidnapped in Oakland, California, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said.
The thieves realized their mistake after driving several miles to the nearby town of San Leandro.
In a video filmed by a surveillance camera broadcast by ABC News, the stolen vehicle can be seen stopping and a man getting out, holding a toddler under one arm. The man drops the child behind the car, then quickly flees.
About a minute later, a bus stops near the toddler. The driver, intrigued, called the police. People from surrounding businesses also came out to see what was happening, camera footage shows.
“It happened right outside my door here. “That things like this are happening doesn’t really surprise me anymore, because the crime has gotten out of control,” witness Versie Adams told ABC News.
Police were able to quickly return the child to his mother.
Furthermore, as the thieves also left with the woman’s iPhone, she was able to guide the police to her stolen car using the “Find Me” application installed on her phone.
Two suspects, a 31-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man, were finally apprehended.
