2-year-old was in back of stolen car, police say

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - A 2-year-old was in the back of a car stolen Tuesday night, according to Lawton police.

Police say the baby’s mother was inside a restaurant on Cache Rd. picking up food when a man jumped into her car and drove away -- with her infant still in the backseat.

7News teams heard dispatch tell officers to start searching for that car around 8 p.m., and police say it was quickly located.

Public information officer Chris Blessing says it took him 20 minutes to get to the scene after being called to coordinate media, and by the time he got there, the car had already been discovered abandoned.

“It just goes to show you how important, how seriously we take these matters,” said the police sergeant. “The important thing is that the child was found safe and nothing else has occurred.”

Officials said they could not confirm exactly where the car was found, but did say the 2-year-old was safe and had been reunited with its mother.

An investigation is expected to begin in full force Wednesday morning. In the meantime, police said they’re just relieved the child is out of harm’s way.

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