NORFOLK, Va. — After some confusion, the Norfolk Police Department said an 8-year-old girl that they had been looking for was never in the stolen car at the center of their search.
Around 4:30, the department tweeted that a car had been stolen from Wawa at 1146 N. Military Highway, and a child was inside it.
A police pursuit followed, and Norfolk officers found the vehicle and detained a person of interest, but at 4:30 p.m., were still looking for the 8-year-old.
At 5 p.m., Norfolk police announced they had located the girl safe in Virginia Beach. She had been in the care of her mother.
It wasn't until 7:40 p.m. that police said the girl was never in that stolen car.
A tweet said someone had reported to them that the child was in the vehicle.
NPD took five male juveniles into custody after investigating the vehicle theft, and two are now facing charges.
A 14-year-old boy is charged with grand larceny of a stolen vehicle, felony eluding and conspiracy to commit larceny. A 15-year-old boy is charged with conspiracy to commit larceny.
They had stopped driving the car in the 6200 block of Alexander Street and had attempted to run away from police.
Both are being held at Norfolk Detention Center.