A 21-year-old man is behind bars after Akron police say that he stole a car Thursday morning that had an untended 2-year-old child inside and then led officers on a chase through the city.
It started around 8:30 a.m. in the 600 block of East Market Street after the department received a call about a car taken with a toddler sitting in it.
Akron police said officers found the car a short time later and chased it through the city's West Side.
During the chase, the car crashed into a police cruiser, but the driver kept going, authorities said. When the car reached Moon Street and Bellevue Avenue, the driver pulled the child out of the car, got back in, and fled the area. Officers managed to catch up to the car on Superior Avenue and took the driver into custody.
The child, who had no visible injuries, was taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution, authorities said
The man has been charged with kidnapping, willful flee, felonious assault on a peace officer and receiving stolen property, authorities said. Additional charges may be forthcoming.
