A Red Deer mother was horrified last week to see a thief drive off in her pickup with her two sleeping toddlers inside.
Police said that about 4:30 p.m. last Thursday the mother left her pickup running in her Waskasoo driveway with her two girls, aged one and three, in the back while she briefly returned to the house.
In that moment, the thief jumped in the truck. The woman saw what was happening and ran outside but could not stop the truck before the thief drove off.
“It was very quick,” said police.
Shortly before 5 p.m., a passerby found both children unharmed near Caribou Crescent and Carlyle Green in Clearview Ridge. The children had been taken out of their car seats and left outside.
The truck was found the next morning at Safety City near 30th Avenue and Hwy 11.
RCMP said a suspect was arrested on Tuesday morning when someone heading to work found him sleeping in their pickup and called police. He was identified as being wanted in connection with the earlier incident and was arrested without incident around 8 a.m.
Charges are pending.
The cold weather typically sees a spike in thieves making off in running vehicles left unattended. RCMP remind drivers to lock doors and shut off engines.