Two California Women Arrested For Stealing Vehicle With Baby Inside And Crashing It

Two California women were taken into custody after they allegedly stole a vehicle with a 7-month-old baby still strapped in his seat, and crashed it.

The incident occurred in Auburn, near Newcastle around 7 am Thursday when the infant’s parents were dropping off one of their two children at a daycare.

Placer County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Nelson Resendes said that the parents had left the baby in their vehicle "for just a moment." Suddenly, the two women, later identified as 29-year-old Roniqua Wartson and 23-year-old Anastacia Andino, hopped into the car and drove away.

"During that moment, two females get into the car and stole it," Resendes said to The Sacramento Bee. "(It's) unknown whether they knew the 7-month-old was in the back or not."

After receiving 911 calls, deputies with the California Highway Patrol were dispatched to search for the stolen vehicle. Authorities were able to locate the vehicle and attempted to stop it. The deputies chased after the vehicle in the 8900 block of Highway 193 until the driver of the stolen vehicle crashed on the side of a highway into a power pole, said the police on Facebook.

"It probably happened within less than a minute, so I would just say even though you feel like you're in a safe environment, days like this make it seem like in this world, it's not the same anymore," the baby’s mother, Korral Atkinson, said to KXTV. "So definitely be more aware."

Placer County Sheriff’s Office said that the suspect riding as the passenger was quickly detained, while the driver "fled into the woods." Police located her shortly afterward and took her into custody.

The two suspects and the baby were taken to a hospital. None of them were injured, Resendes said. Both suspects were booked into the Placer County jail late Thursday, police said.

"The baby’s fine," Resendes said to the Sacramento Bee. "Good ending."