A young kid has been found safe after carjackers stole his father's vehicle while he was still inside in Whitehaven on Tuesday night. Carjackings have been a problem in the area recently, with the Memphis Police Department arresting two teens in connection with a string of car thefts last month, according to Action News 5.
The carjacking occurred at midnight at the Dodge's Chicken on Elvis Presley Boulevard. The boy's father left his 2014 Dodge Dart running while he went inside the establishment. According to the police, the four-year-old was left in the back seat at the time.
The dad said an unknown man got inside the vehicle and sped away, with the car going southbound on Elvis Presley. The Dodge was later abandoned about a mile from where it was stolen in front of 3771 Graceland. The boy was still inside the car when it was located.
Boy called his mom after suspects stole his dad's car
WREG spoke to the boy's mom, who said her son, whom she calls RJ, is from Oklahoma. He was in Memphis for the summer to visit his father. She noted that it was her son's first night there.
Cops said the boy called his mother on his dad's phone while in the vehicle with the suspect. The mother said that during his son's call, he kept telling her that some dude was driving his daddy's car.
The suspect took the phone from the boy and told the mother he would return her son to his father. The mom said the dude got on the phone and told her, "Um, somebody stole the car. I'm going to take him back to his daddy."
She added that the kidnapper hit her son in the head and hung up the phone. The concerned mom called back, and her son RJ answered. He told his mom that the dude in the blue shirt had his daddy's car. The mom asked her son, "What else is he wearing?" with the boy replying, "a black mask."
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Young boy eventually found in abandoned vehicle
The suspect eventually got out of the vehicle and left the boy inside. She said her son could not figure out where he was as he could only see houses. She instructed her son to start honking the car's horn and flashing the vehicle's lights to help the cops find him.
The boy was eventually found in the abandoned vehicle and was returned to his dad. Documents showed that police gave the father a citation for having an unattended vehicle. His abandoned car remained at the scene on Graceland while detectives gathered more information about the carjacking.
Retired Shelby County Sheriff's Office captain and certified gun instructor Bennie Cobb told Fox 13 Memphis that the bad guys, car thieves, and carjackers are not looking to see if a child is in the backseat. Cobb said they are opportunists and will take an opportunity to take a vehicle whenever they can.
