A man believed to be involved in a robbery in Beverly Hills led authorities on a dangerous pursuit Wednesday with his 2-month-old daughter in his car, police said.
According to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, the disturbing incident began with a call of an armed robbery in Beverly Hills involving three men. The men were driving in Hawthorne before abandoning their vehicle. Two men were taken into custody, and a third suspect was seen fleeing in a Kia sedan.
A third suspect, believed to have stolen the Kia, then began a pursuit with the infant’s daughter and the baby’s mother in his car. It is unclear when the two got in the vehicle.
“The driver ignored police orders to stop, disrupted traffic flow, at times driving on the wrong side of the road and nearly collided with other drivers. The driver then came to a dead end at the intersection of Shed Terrace and Wright Crest Drive in Culver City, where several police vehicles intercepted the suspect vehicle.”
The driver, who was trapped inside the car, turned himself in to police and handed his young daughters over to officers, after which the man’s girlfriend, who was sitting in the back seat, also got out of the car and turned herself in to police.
“When you have a baby involved, everything escalates and you have to be at your best and I feel like everybody was at their best,” Deputy Sheriff Tony Lomedico said.
Video from NewsChopper 4 showed the driver turning himself in to police and the woman being taken into custody. The baby was turned over to police and treated at the scene.
“My concern was the baby,” Deputy Adriana Martinez said. “He was crying and I just wanted to comfort him. That maternal impulse kicked in and I tried to soothe him and get him to stop crying. We ended up taking care of the baby.”
LASD said officers fed the baby and changed his diaper before he fell asleep. The baby was found safe and has since been reunited with his mother.
Authorities said they determined the baby’s mother was a kidnapping victim in that case and released her.
The driver, whose name has not been released, is facing charges including kidnapping, carjacking, armed robbery and being a former felon in possession of a firearm. LASD said the driver was livestreaming the car chase while he was driving.