15-year-old charged after stealing car with a child inside, Richland Co. sheriff says
A 15-year-old was charged with multiple crimes after stealing a car with a child inside, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said Monday.
The teenager, who is not being publicly identified because he is a minor, was arrested Friday after the sheriff’s department released surveillance photos showing a male stealing a car from a Columbia gas station.
The incident happened at about 7 p.m. on July 21 at the BP Gas Station at 806 Broad River Road, the sheriff’s department said in a news release. That’s at the intersection with Greystone Boulevard, about a mile from Riverbanks Zoo & Garden.
The teen is accused of stealing a running car that was left unattended at the gas station, according to a news release. A 4-year-old was inside the vehicle.
The vehicle’s owner, who is the child’s father, told the sheriff’s department he left the car unlocked when he went inside the convenience store to buy something, and when he went outside to get his ID, the car and child were gone.
As deputies searched for the car, the 4-year-old was found knocking on an apartment door at a complex about a mile from the gas station, the sheriff’s department said.
After being checked by EMS, the 4-year-old told deputies the thief got into the car and drove off, eventually stopping to remove the child before driving away again, according to the release.
The thief then drove the car down the road, where he left it parked, the sheriff’s department said.
After the sheriff’s department released the surveillance photos from the gas station, the teen was identified and surrendered, according to the release.
The teen was charged as a minor with grand larceny and kidnapping, before being released to the custody of his parents, the sheriff’s department said.
The sheriff’s department told The State that the 4-year-old’s father will not face any charges for leaving the unattended boy in the running vehicle.
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This story was originally published August 10, 2020 at 11:01 AM.
