The child was able to get out of the car unharmed when the suspect briefly stopped the vehicle a few blocks away the from Hy-Vee convenience store at County Road 81 and 35th Avenue N. where the theft occurred, said Robbinsdale Police Chief Jim Franzen.
A woman was putting air in her tires around 7:30 a.m. when a man hopped in her vehicle with the girl in the back seat and took off, Franzen said.
The man stopped the vehicle and security video shows the child opening the door and getting out of the vehicle before the man fled on 36th Avenue N. The suspect was not found, but police did find the vehicle, a blue Kia Optima, abandoned in neighboring Golden Valley, Franzen said.
It may not have been the first car the suspect stole. Robbinsdale officers later found a another vehicle that had been stolen in recent days in a parking lot adjoining the Hy-Vee. It apparently been parked by the same man just before woman's car was taken.
Anybody with information or who witnessed the incident is asked to call Robbinsdale police at 763-531-1220.
Tim Harlow
