The frantic 911 call of a Georgia mother who had her 2-year-old daughter stolen from her car while it was left running has been released by police, revealing the harrowing moments as the child was rescued.
The mother called 911 around 4:36 p.m. on July 30, frantically telling the dispatcher that her car had been stolen with her daughter inside. "Someone just stole my car and it has my 2-year-old daughter in it," she said.
Police quickly located the vehicle using the city's license plate readers and apprehended the suspect within 15 minutes. Body camera video shows officers surrounding the stolen vehicle, ordering the driver to raise his hands and get out, and taking the suspect into custody.
The toddler was reunited with her parents, unharmed, but an investigation into the incident revealed disturbing allegations. The suspect allegedly had both hands on the child's torso when officers found him and was trying to duck down and hide between the seats.
The suspect, 21-year-old Saleem Martin, has been charged with kidnapping, theft by taking, simple battery, entering an automobile, cruelty to children and criminal attempt to commit a felony. Martin allegedly told investigators he had been touching the child because he was trying to calm her down and did not realize she was in the backseat until after he drove away.
According to the arrest warrant, Martin also claimed he realized there was an iPad inside the vehicle and discarded it because he believed it could be used to track him.
The Atlanta Police Department's Special Victims Unit was brought into the investigation, and authorities are still looking into the details of the incident.
The toddler's mother later noticed that the bottom of her daughter's dress was unbuttoned, and the child allegedly told her mother "the man did it," referring to the man who had been driving the car.
The suspect's motives and the full circumstances surrounding the incident are still unclear, but one thing is certain: the harrowing experience has left a family shaken and grateful for the swift response of the Atlanta Police Department.
