2-year-old boy found safe after suspect steals vehicle in Libertyville with child inside
CHICAGO - A two-year-old boy has been safely located after being abducted in a carjacking Thursday afternoon.
The carjacking happened right outside the boy's home in Libertyville.
At about 3:35 p.m., Lake County Sheriff's Deputies responded to the 16000 block of Route 137 for a report of a carjacking with a child still inside the vehicle.
According to the sheriff's office, a 34-year-old victim just returned to her residence and pulled into her driveway. She brought one of her children inside and when she went back to her car to retrieve her other child, her two-year-old son, a white BMW (2000’s model, black bumper and loud exhaust) pulled into her driveway behind her car.
A man, described as being tall, thin, wearing a gray zip-up hooded sweatshirt, and a light green facemask, exited the passenger side of the BMW and struggled to get into the victim’s Volkswagen.
The offender then battered the woman, who is reportedly pregnant, and knocked her to the ground, the sheriff's office said.
He stole her car with the child inside, and he and the driver of the BMW fled the scene.
One of the drivers ran her over as they fled, causing serious injuries.
"[The boy's mom] did everything she could to try to stop this person from stealing her car," said Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff's Office. "She was struck by one of the two vehicles as they were fleeing, she was fortunately not seriously injured. However, both vehicles fled; her vehicle had her two-year-old son in back in a child seat."
A short time later, a person working at a business in the 2200 block of Lakeside Drive in Waukegan called 911 to report that they saw two vehicles enter the parking lot, and the driver of one of the cars abandoned a small child.
The drivers of both vehicles fled, and the 911 caller rescued the child from the parking lot before the child wandered onto the busy roadway.
Sheriff’s deputies located the stolen Volkswagen in a parking lot near Casmir Pulaski and Route 43. The vehicle is being processed for trace evidence.
The BMW has not been located, but the sheriff's office says it was stolen in the past week from a car dealership in Waukegan.
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The woman who was battered is in an area hospital in stable condition.
"There are no indications these offenders had any knowledge of the victims whatsoever. This appears to be completely random," said Covelli.
Covelli says while the victims in this carjacking did nothing wrong, it's always good to be aware of your surroundings when you're driving and if you ever notice anyone following you suspiciously, call 911 or drive straight to the nearest police station.