Man takes SUV from driveway as mom and kids get ready for school, Florida video shows
A Florida mom getting ready to take her kids to their first day of school screamed when she stepped out of her front door to see a man driving off in her SUV, doorbell camera footage shows.
At around 7:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 8, a man who was cycling through a residential area of Titusville “dropped his bicycle, jumped into her 2013 white Kia Soul without permission and sped away,” according to a news release from the Titusville Police Department.
The home’s Ring doorbell camera captured the moments as the man drove down the driveway and made a right turn onto the street. A young boy with a red backpack can be seen running down the front steps trying to chase the car. His mother, who is holding a car seat with a small child inside, follows behind him, screaming.
They both watch from the front yard as the SUV continues down the road, the video shows.
After the woman called 911 to report her vehicle stolen, officers found it at an intersection about 3 miles south, according to the release. Titusville is about 40 miles east of Orlando.
Police tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver fled at high speeds, driving recklessly until he crashed, the release says. He got out of the vehicle and ran.
Officers set up a perimeter and at around 8:30 a.m., found him in a wooded area about 5 miles from the home where the car was stolen.
Police arrested the 43-year-old man and charged him with multiple counts, including grand theft, fleeing and eluding law enforcement and leaving the scene of a crash with damage, the release says.
“This crime against a mother and her children will not be tolerated in our city,” Titusville Police Criminal Investigations Sergeant Timothy Werring said in the release. “Our vigilant officers worked skillfully and urgently to take this criminal into custody.”
This story was originally published August 9, 2022 at 12:04 PM with the headline "Man takes SUV from driveway as mom and kids get ready for school, Florida video shows."