Amber Alert triggered by armed carjacking, abduction of 16-year-old in LA, police say

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- An Amber Alert that was issued Thursday evening stemmed from an alleged carjacking in Los Angeles in which the armed suspect drove off while the victim's 16-year-old stepson was still inside the vehicle, authorities said Friday.

Kandice Johnson, 31, is being sought in connection with the incident. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, Johnson allegedly approached a woman who was standing outside of a vehicle about 4 p.m. Thursday near 47th and Figueroa streets in South L.A. The suspect pointed a semiautomatic weapon at the victim and told her to step away, police said.

"The woman told the officers that she wasn't sure if the suspect actually knew that there was a child in the car because the windows are tinted very dark on the back," said Detective Meghan Aguilar, an LAPD spokeswoman. "So we're still not sure what her intention was, although at this time we believe her intention was to steal the car and not kidnap the child that was in the vehicle."

Witness Justin Mora saw what happened and said he saw Coleman standing next to the black Camry shortly before the carjacking.

Eric Coleman was then abducted while sitting in the back seat of the black 2014 Toyota Camry. The sedan has California license plate No. 7XWL023. Coleman is described as an African-American male with black hair and brown eyes, standing 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds.

Johnson is described as an African-American woman with braided red, green and black hair. She is 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs about 147 pounds. She should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.

The teen's stepmother told investigators that Johnson was an acquaintance that she knows from her neighborhood.

Anyone who sees the suspect or the missing boy is asked to call 911.