Accused thief steals car with 3 kids inside, drags dad and crashes, CA cops say

A man accused of stealing a car with three children inside dragged the father, who tried to stop him, then crashed during a later police chase, California authorities reported.

The father and children were not seriously hurt in the Friday, Aug. 29, incident, which began in East Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

A mom parked her Chrysler sedan outside a store with the engine running and her three children inside at about 6:40 p.m., deputies said.

While she was inside the store, a stranger jumped in the car and tried to drive away with the children, ages 8, 6 and 2, inside, deputies said.

The father of the children, who was parked beside the vehicle, tried to stop the theft and was dragged a short distance before falling to the pavement, deputies said.

Deputies spotted the stolen vehicle and chased it onto Interstate 10, officials said.

The driver crashed into four other vehicles in Malibu, then jumped out and ran up a hillside into a nearby neighborhood, where California Highway Patrol officers arrested him, deputies said.

The accused thief and children were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, deputies said. One other person also was injured in the collision.

Charges against the accused thief, who has yet to be publicly identified, are pending his release from the hospital, deputies said.

Investigators ask anyone with information to call 323-264-4151.

This story was originally published September 1, 2025 at 8:38 AM with the headline "Accused thief steals car with 3 kids inside, drags dad and crashes, CA cops say."