Police have charged an 18-year-old man with kidnapping and child stealing after a vehicle was stolen in Melbourne’s west while a five-year-old girl was sitting inside.
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The girl’s parents contacted police at about 6.30am on Thursday when their black BMW was stolen from their Wyndham Vale driveway, in Melbourne’s south-west.
The vehicle and child were found at Norlane, near Geelong, less than an hour later.
Police are still hunting for the two men who allegedly stole the BMW from a Wyndham Vale home early Thursday morning.
Police sent out an urgent message for help after the auto was reported stolen about 6.30am on Thursday morning.
Police were earlier led on a pursuit through Geelong after spotting the stolen auto just after 7am.
One of the offenders was seen driving a white Toyota Supra.
The driver of the BMW crossed six lanes of traffic on a major highway and became airborne as they tried to shake police during the chase.
It was stopped on Plume Street and the two men then ran from the auto.
The five-year-old girl has since been reunited with her family.
“I can only surmise that it’s an opportunist theft”, Superintendent Craig Gillard said.
“I shudder to think about what they’re [the child and parents] both going through”, he said. This is a very serious offence which could’ve had potentially a very serious outcome.
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Police are hunting the two suspects.
