Illinois mother battered and left seriously injured while attempting to prevent the kidnapping of her 2-year-old child, when a thief attempted to steal her SUV in the driveway of her Libertyville home.
The incident took place at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, as the woman, who was with her two children, drove her 2021 Volkswagen Atlas into her driveway. She took one child inside, leaving the other in the car.
When she returned, a man got out of the passenger side of a white BMW that had pulled up. He then attempted to steal the woman’s car with her toddler inside. While trying to keep her child safe, the perpetrator battered the woman, knocking her to the ground. He stole the car, with the child inside.
As he fled, he ran over the victim, causing serious injuries, and abandoned the child in a nearby parking lot. The mother managed to call 911 for help, and the child was later found by a worker in a nearby Waukegan business.
According to a Facebook post by the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, the stolen Volkswagen has been located and is currently being processed for evidence. Detectives are still searching for the suspect’s BMW, which was reportedly stolen from a car dealership prior to the attack.
The Libertyville Police Department is investigating the crime, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information to come forward.