DES MOINES – A parent who left their child alone in a car which was then stolen while parked at an Iowa convenience store avoided tragedy when cops caught the suspect.
Just after 6:OO PM Thursday night, December 9, a car was reported stolen from a convenience store at 42nd St & University Avenue in Des Moines. 3rd Watch officers saturated the area after learning that there was a 4-year-old child inside the car when it was stolen.
Within minutes, an officer found the child, apparently abandoned by the thief, nearby on 47th Street. “The child is healthy and well and reunited with family,” police claimed.
Moments after this, an officer spotted the stolen car near 30th Street & Euclid Ave. The suspect refused to stop and led officers on a short pursuit. The pursuit ended when the suspect crashed at MLK Jr Pkwy & Bennett Drive. A short foot pursuit ended with the suspect being taken into custody without incident shortly after 6:30 pm.
The parent evidently does not face a charge of child endangerment.
