Dad Watches Thief Steal, Flip Car In Seattle With Baby Inside: Cops

SEATTLE, WA — A man has been arrested after police said he stole a car with an infant in the back seat, and then rolled the vehicle in a crash.

A rollover crash was reported around 11 a.m. Thursday at 12th Avenue and East Olive Street in the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood. A Toyota sedan crashed into a parked car, causing the sedan to flip. The driver then got out and ran off, police said.

Police officers learned the Toyota was stolen several blocks away and that an infant was still in the back seat. The child’s father was making a delivery and left his daughter in the running car as he ran to make the delivery, police said. When he returned, he saw the thief speed off with the girl still inside, police said. The father chased the car and watched it crash and flip. The girl was buckled in to her car seat and was not hurt.

Police arrested the thief after he walked past the East Precinct and was identified by witnesses, police said.

The 32-year-old man was taken to Harborview Medical Center to be evaluated. After he's medically cleared, he will be booked into King County Jail on charges of kidnapping and theft of a motor vehicle. Additional charges are possible for DUI, reckless driving, and hit-and-run.