LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles police say an Amber Alert issued after a 3-year-old girl was abducted in a South Los Angeles carjacking was canceled early Sunday after the child was found safe. The girl had been inside a vehicle that was stolen Saturday night while her parents were standing nearby, according to LAPD.
The alert centered on a Toyota RAV4 that was taken from 49th Place and Figueroa Street with the child still in the backseat. Authorities said the driver then led police on a pursuit that ended before 1 a.m. The girl was reunited with her family after the stop.
How the carjacking unfolded near 49th Place and Figueroa Street
Police said the vehicle was running when it was taken, and the child was left in the backseat as the car was driven away. The theft happened while the parents were standing close by, turning what began as a carjacking into an urgent search for the child.
Because the girl was still inside the SUV, authorities moved quickly to issue an Amber Alert. Those alerts are used when law enforcement believes a child has been abducted and may be in serious danger. In this case, the warning was aimed at getting the public to help locate the RAV4 and the child inside it.
ABC7 Los Angeles reported that the incident began Saturday night in South Los Angeles. LAPD said the family’s vehicle had been stolen before officers and other agencies were able to track it down.
California Highway Patrol spots the RAV4 in the Inland Empire
According to California Highway Patrol, officers spotted the vehicle early Sunday morning in the Inland Empire. They tried to pull it over, but the driver did not stop. That refusal set off a pursuit that moved from the 15 Freeway toward Lucerne Valley.
The chase stretched across a long stretch of roadway before the vehicle finally came to a stop shortly before 1 a.m. Authorities have not said what led to the stop, only that it ended the pursuit and allowed officers to reach the child inside.
By the time the vehicle was secured, the focus had shifted from finding the car to confirming the girl’s condition. Police later said she was safe.
The girl was found safe and reunited with her family
Los Angeles police said the 3-year-old was found inside the vehicle and was safe when officers reached her. She was then reunited with her family after the ordeal, ending the overnight search on a positive note.
The Amber Alert was canceled once authorities confirmed the child had been recovered. The quick resolution came after hours of uncertainty that began with the carjacking in South Los Angeles and ended after the pursuit in the Inland Empire.
Officials did not report any injuries to the child in the information made public. The main concern throughout the incident was locating her quickly and bringing her home.
Suspect arrested after the pursuit ended
Police said the person who stole the car was arrested and is waiting to be charged. Authorities did not immediately release the suspect’s name or say what specific charges would be filed.
The case remains centered on the carjacking, the abduction of the child, and the chase that followed. For investigators, the priority was first recovering the girl, then taking the suspect into custody once the vehicle stopped.
No additional details were immediately released about how the theft happened beyond the fact that the vehicle was running and the child was in the backseat when it was taken.
Why the Amber Alert mattered for nearby drivers and residents
Amber Alerts are designed to move fast, giving drivers and residents a description of a child and vehicle so they can help search if they spot them. In this case, the alert was tied to a South Los Angeles carjacking but quickly expanded beyond the original neighborhood as the vehicle traveled east and north.
The response from California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles police showed how quickly a local crime can become a regional search when a child is involved. The alert’s cancellation signaled that the urgent phase had ended once the girl was confirmed safe.
For families in the area, the case underscored how quickly an ordinary moment can turn dangerous when a car is left running and a child is inside. Authorities did not announce any continuing threat to the public after the arrest.
