3-month-old girl found safe in South LA after thief steals car with baby in back seat
SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A 3-month-old girl was found safe in a car in South Los Angeles on Wednesday evening about 45 minutes after the vehicle was stolen with the baby in the back seat, authorities said.
A woman stopped shortly before 6 p.m. near 108th Street and Vermont Avenue, where she left her child inside the idling vehicle and went into a convenience store, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
When she returned, she saw a person driving away with the vehicle, investigators said. The thief was described as a woman between 20 and 23, with star tattoos on her back.
Shortly before the incident, the suspect had exited a blue vehicle occupied by two men. A surveillance camera videotaped the men while they were in the store and parking lot.
The frantic mother reported the incident to authorities, who were preparing to issue an Amber Alert when the stolen vehicle was discovered.
About 6:35 p.m., Los Angeles Police Department officers located the abandoned car two miles away in the area of 85th Street and Halldale Avenue. The unharmed infant was subsequently reunited with her mother.
The woman could have faced charges, but sheriff's investigators said they believed she had learned a lesson.
"You don't leave a baby in a car -- not even for two seconds -- by themselves," said Yvonne Miller, a store patron, when she learned of the episode. "End of discussion."
