2 teens arrested and charged with stealing car with 2-year-old girl inside

Two 15-year-old boys have been arrested after police said they stole a vehicle at a gas station in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, with a 2-year-old girl inside.

Montgomery County police said a woman was vacuuming her car in a gas station parking lot on the 8600 block of Georgia Avenue on the morning of June 16. When she got out of her car to put money into the air pump machine, police said, one of the suspects got into her car and fled out of the parking lot. The woman’s infant daughter was in the back seat, police said in a news release Thursday.

A witness followed the stolen car onto Colesville Road. The witness said he saw a second suspect get into the car on Colesville Road, and then both teens got out of the car and ran away.

Shortly after, officers located the car on Colesville Road and the child was found uninjured.

Police patrolling the area saw two people who matched the description of the suspects walking near Fenton Street and Veterans Place. When they saw officers, police said, they ran away and led police on a brief pursuit. They were arrested and charged as juveniles for auto theft and kidnapping-related offenses.

Video of the incident can be seen here:

Julie Gallagher

Julie Gallagher is a freelance digital writer and editor for WTOP.com. She previously covered the 2020 election with CNN and has bylines in The Lily, WIRED, NBC Washington, The Baltimore Sun, Washington City Paper and more.

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