A 28-year-old Little Rock man was arrested in Tennessee and accused of stealing a sport-utility vehicle that had a 10-month-old boy inside, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department.
Cody Eakes was alone in a different car stolen out of Jonesboro when he crashed into a vehicle at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, Metro Nashville police said in a news release. The crash occurred at Murfreesboro Pike and Hamilton Church Road in southeast Nashville, about 7 miles south of Interstate 40.
Police said a Smyrna woman saw the crash and stopped to help. As she got out, Eakes approached, pushed her, forcibly took her keys and got inside the SUV, according to the release.
The woman had been caring for the 10-month-old boy, who was in the rear seat of the SUV.
A witness also jumped into the vehicle and on top of Eakes in hopes of preventing him from fleeing, police said. The witness was unsuccessful and fell from the car, and Eakes drove away with the child in the back seat, authorities said.
Eakes drove around South Nashville, but later returned to the area, abandoned the SUV and left the child behind, police said. The child was unharmed and later reunited with the father, according to the report.
Witnesses told officers that Eakes fled into a nearby wooded area. The scene of the crash is about 3 miles from Percy Priest Lake and a number of parks, trails and campgrounds.
Eakes was located and arrested without incident, police said.
Eakes was being held Friday in Nashville's Downtown Detention Center in lieu of $91,500 bond on charges of carjacking, especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, leaving the scene of a crash, failure to render aid, assault and theft, according to police.