A Good Samaritan in Portland, Oregon, helped save two children, aged 9 and 11, after they escaped from a vehicle in which a kidnapper was attempting to spirit them away. The Good Samaritan, the Portland Police Bureau reports, stayed with the kids and kept them safe until the police arrived. Meanwhile, the cops chased down the car in which the kidnapper was travelling and managed to stop it.
The suspect, thanks to the work of the Portland Police Department and work of the Good Samaritan, has ensured the safety of the children and has the kidnapping suspect in its custody. The incident occurred mid-afternoon on Monday, January 22.
Describing what happened in a press release, the department announced that the suspect is in its custody and described how the kidnapping occurred as part of an auto theft. It wrote, “A suspect is in police custody after stealing a vehicle with two children inside. On Monday, January 22, 2024, at 2:46 p.m., North Precinct officers responded to the 6800 block of North Interstate Avenue after an officer was flagged down to the report of a woman stealing a vehicle with two children inside.”
The department then noted that the incident occurred when the father entered a business outside of which he left the car running, and that though he attempted to stop the theft and kidnapping, the father failed and was left injured by his attempt to save his kids and car.
It wrote, “Officers determined the children’s father left his vehicle running while he went into a business in the area. As the father was returning to the vehicle, he noticed a woman jumping into the driver’s seat. The father attempted to stop the theft, but the woman accelerated away from the scene with the two children in the back of the vehicle. The father suffered minor injuries to his hand.”
Continuing, the Portland Police Bureau described how the children managed to escape from the stolen vehicle when the car was stopped at a light. It wrote, “Approximately 10 minutes later, the children, ages 9 and 11, took action and jumped out of the vehicle while it was stopped at a stoplight in the area of Northwest 15th Avenue and Northwest Glisan Street. The children, uninjured, flagged down a passer-by who called 911. Central Precinct officers and Detective Division personnel responded quickly, ensured the safety of the children, then transported them to be reunited with family.”
The PPB then described how the kidnapping suspect was eventually stopped after a police pursuit into the state of Washington, writing, “A short time later, the stolen vehicle was spotted in North Portland by a Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office deputy assigned to the Transit Police Division. A pursuit was initiated which traveled northbound onto I-5 and into Washington state. With the help of several partner agencies, the vehicle was stopped just south of the Northeast 134th Street exit and the suspect was taken into custody.“
In a later update to the press release, the Portland Police Bureau identified the kidnapping and auto theft suspect and noted that she had been booked in Washington’s “Clark County Jail on the following charges: Attempt to Elude, Reckless Driving, Driving with a Suspended or Revoked License, and Fugitive from Justice (FFJ).”
The PPB also noted that its detectives had applied for and been “granted an arrest warrant for Millage for Kidnapping in the Second Degree, Robbery in the First Degree, Robbery in the Third Degree, Unlawful Use of a Motor Vehicle, and Attempt to Elude in connection with the incident in the Portland area.”
Featured image credit: Portland Police Bureau
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