Police identified a man accused of stealing a running car with two young children inside, leading to a wild chase in Northeast Philadelphia.
Lakim McDonald, 23, is charged with theft by unlawful taking, kidnapping, endangering the welfare of a child, recklessly endangering another person and other offenses.
The ordeal began Wednesday around 10 p.m. when a 28-year-old woman stopped by her friend's house on the 1000 block of Van Kirk Street to drop something off. The woman parked her white 2010 Toyota Camry in front of the home with the engine running and her two sons, ages 6 and 1, in the backseat.
As the woman ran to the front door, McDonald allegedly went into her car and drove off with her children inside.
"It appears the male took this car as a crime of opportunity because the car was sitting there with the engine running," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. "Probably very surprised that there were two children in the backseat because the vehicle has heavy tint. But, that's still an abduction."
The woman flagged down a passing police car and reported the theft. Officers spotted the Camry on the 1500 block of Sellers Street, about a mile away from where it was stolen. A police aviation unit began to follow it as it sped off.
"We made sure ground units didn't chase it because we didn't want the vehicle to get involved in an auto accident running from police," Small said.
The aviation unit pursued the vehicle for about 2 miles. The chase finally ended when the stolen car struck a curb at the intersection of Castor and Wyoming avenues. Officers on the ground were notified and they captured the suspect, identified by police as McDonald.
Police say McDonald appeared to be impaired at the time of the arrest.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
As police placed McDonald in custody, they realized the children were not inside the car. McDonald told police he dropped the children off along the 4700 block of Darrah Street, according to Small.
Around the same time the suspect was captured, police received another report of two children who were found along the 4700 block of Darrah Street. The two children were found safe and reunited with their mother.
The family was thankful the boys weren't hurt.
“The only thing we want to say is thanks to the police for their work and to the two women who found my nephews," the boys' aunt told NBC10.
The mother and children were taken to the Special Victims Unit.
"A happy ending," Small said. "Great job done by Philadelphia Police."
