INDIANAPOLIS — An emotional reunion for the family of a 9-year-old boy, after their truck is stolen with the child in the vehicle on the near west side.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), just after 7 p.m. Friday a Black Dodge Ram was stolen from the 2500 block of West 10th Street.
The child’s grandmother said that the boy was left waiting in the locked, running vehicle, as his father ran into a barbershop.
She was told the child unlocked the truck as the suspect approached, thinking it was his father.
At one point, the child called his father telling him he had been abducted.
“This is extremely scary in today’s society of 2022,” said Laurie Buckner, the boy’s grandmother. “As we know the crime rate is up, there’s so many killings, there’s so many people suffering from mental illness and addictions.”
“It’s really, really scary.”
When the suspect stopped along Albany Street, the boy jumped out and ran to a nearby house. The owners let the child inside and called the police.
The boy was unharmed during the incident, and reunited with his family.
“I’d really like to thank IMPD officers, with the district being right down the street, responding extremely well, and putting the call out to their fellow officers,” said Buckner. “I’m just so thankful, because they had made it, from my understanding, they had recovered the vehicle all the way from the east side.”
Police say the suspect left the stolen truck in 1000 block of Albany Street, and ran to a nearby gas station. They then stole another car that was unlocked and running.
IMPD reminds everyone not to leave vehicles running and unlocked. If you have information about the vehicle theft, contact IMPD or call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-TIPS (8477).
