(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Newly released body camera footage shows the moment a toddler was found safe by officers after a car was stolen with the child inside on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
The harrowing incident occurred shortly before 3 p.m. on Tuesday, when dispatchers received a call that a car had been stolen with a 2-year-old inside. The car, a black 2021 Kia Seltos, was reportedly taken from the 2700 block of King Street, north of Old Colorado City on the west side of Colorado Springs.
Chief Adrian Vasquez with the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) said from the moment the call was received, officers were deployed to search for the vehicle and the Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) was used to provide invaluable information and visuals that helped locate the car and the child about 2 hours after the car was stolen.
CSPD’s Public Information Officer Ira Cronin said the Flock license plate cameras specifically helped officers get visuals of the actual vehicle that was sought, through images captured on the cameras days before the crime even occurred. Cronin explained that the license plate cameras routinely capture images of cars as they pass the cameras, so when investigators responding to the kidnapping case input the description of the vehicle and a partial plate from the car’s owner, police were able to immediately pull images of the actual vehicle from days prior to disseminate to officers across the city, as well as to the community and media partners, to be on the lookout.
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“That… allowed us to arm our officers with exact information of the vehicle they were looking for, it allowed us to share that image with [media partners], and it also allowed us… real-time information that that vehicle had not passed through any of our locations,” said Cronin. “Which… helped officers know where to direct their search.”
Chief Vasquez said he could also access officers’ body-worn cameras in real time from the RTCC, and that he was present in the RTCC when the child was finally located safely.
“It was absolutely a relief,” Chief Vasquez said of the moment the child was found. “When a situation is unfolding just like this, [the analysts] are so focused on trying to find, in this case, the child, so they’re not necessarily thinking emotionally, but as soon as you see something like that, you can’t help but to kind of think, ‘wow, this is pretty amazing.’”
CSPD said in a press conference on Wednesday that the car was found in the Downtown area, near the Springs Rescue Mission.
In the released body-camera video, Officers Austin Bryce and Chris Hummel can be seen approaching a car that matches the description of the involved Kia and peering into the back windows.
“Got him,” one of the officers can be heard saying as soon as he lays eyes on the child. The officer can then be heard on his radio: “The vehicle is unoccupied. We have the kid.”
The officers open up the back door of the car and wave to the child, who can immediately be heard heard bumbling “where’s my mom?”
The body cam shows the officer carefully removing the child’s car seat restraint and explaining that he is with the police department. “We’re going to get your momma, okay?” the officer comforts the toddler as he begins to cry.
“We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from our community, and the quick response by the Colorado Springs Police Department to quickly locate [our child] safe and sound,” said the toddler’s family in a statement. “At this time, our family is fully cooperating and working closely with law enforcement to locate the suspect in this case. In the meantime, our sole focus is the health and well-being of our little boy. We are deeply grateful for all the support, concern, and well wishes that have been expressed.”
With the child finally safe, CSPD said the work now becomes finding the suspect who stole the car and kidnapped the child. No suspect has been arrested in connection to the case; however, CSPD said it would be using any relevant security footage provided by the community to help narrow down potential suspect information.
