Police were searching for a man who stole an SUV from a Little Rock gas station Monday morning after a woman left her two children in the vehicle and the keys in the ignition.
The children were later found unharmed and the vehicle was recovered, but authorities had not made an arrest.
About 7 a.m., the 30-year-old woman drove a gray 2000 Ford Escape into the parking lot of an Exxon gas station at 7700 Scott Hamilton Drive with her two children, a 1-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy, Little Rock Police Department spokesman officer Michelle Hill said at a news conference.
The woman went inside the business, Hill said, and she left the car running and the doors unlocked. She came outside moments later to discover "her worst nightmare happened" and the vehicle had been stolen with the children still inside, Hill said.
Witness Edward Vanderver, 29, said he saw the SUV drive off seconds after the woman went into the business.
He said he did not see anyone enter the vehicle, and realized it had been stolen when the mother exited the business moments later yelling, "My babies."
"She was just hysterical," he said. "It was really messing with her."
The incident likely occurred within a minute, he said, and the mother only cared about getting her children back.
"I can't imagine what those kids were thinking," he said.
Vanderver told police he saw the SUV head south on Scott Hamilton Drive.
The car thief drove to a residence in the 8000 block of Autumnwood Road in Mabelvale, where the two children were dropped off unharmed roughly 30 minutes after leaving the gas station, Hill said.
Saline County deputies notified Little Rock police that the children had been found, and the woman's father picked them up, officials said.
Police do not know why the car thief left the kids at that residence, Hill said, adding that they believe the location was chosen randomly.
The car thief was spotted by a police officer near the intersection of Autumnwood and Chicot roads, but the driver ran and was not caught, Hill said.
The SUV was found by deputies nearby in a wooded area off Chicot Road. The vehicle will be processed for fingerprints and other evidence, Hill said.
Cold and wet weather conditions could compromise some of the evidence, though recovered vehicles often lead to arrests, Hill said.
A witness described the car thief as either a white or light-skinned black male who stands 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs roughly 165 pounds, police said. He was reported as wearing black pants, a black cap and a hooded sweatshirt with camouflage print. The sweatshirt, cap and several other items were left behind when he fled and were recovered by police, authorities said.
Police are still deciding what charges the man will face if caught, Hill said. She said the mother is not expected to face any charges.
"I'm sure she's so grateful" for the outcome, Hill said, adding, "We all make split-second choices."
Hill also said the incident could be a lesson for other drivers, noting many vehicle thefts happen when the keys are left inside.
Although the kids were unharmed, Vanderver said he too hopes the incident is a lesson for the mother and others.
"A car is replaceable," he said. "Your kids aren't."
Metro on 01/03/2017