SUFFOLK, Va. — A child is safe after a man stole a car with her inside, the Suffolk Police Department said.
According to police, the 6-year-old girl was with her father at a convenience store in the 800 block of W. Washington Street around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. The father had left the girl inside the running, unlocked car, when a man got in and took off.
Less than 15 minutes later, police found the girl unharmed about four miles away on Smalley's Dam Circle.
A short time later, police tracked down the car and the suspect in the City of Franklin. Police said the suspect, identified as 27-year-old Juwan O'Shae Allen of Suffolk, fled on foot but thanks to the help of several citizens, he was found behind a home on Hayden Drive shortly after 9 a.m.
Allen was taken into custody without incident and now faces charges of grand larceny (motor vehicle theft), abduction, child endangerment, and petit larceny. He was also served an outstanding warrant for failure to comply with support obligations.
Allen is currently being held without bond at Western Tidewater Regional Jail.