A man in Memphis, Tennessee, was detained twice on Friday after escaping from authorities following a police pursuit in which he was driving a stolen car that had his two children and their pregnant mother inside.
Local police said that the suspect, 27-year-old Jarvis Jones, was reportedly driving a stolen Infiniti before officers tried to pull him over, local news station WREG-TV reported, citing court documents.
Investigators with the Auto Theft Task Force were able to confirm that the Infiniti was stolen after running the car’s tag when the vehicle pulled into the Creekside Meadow Apartments complex, according to an arrest affidavit cited by Fox 13 Memphis. Investigators had just recovered two stolen vehicles at the complex.
Jones then made a U-turn and fled from police. Officers tried to pull him over as he drove away at 70 miles per hour and made his way in and out of traffic with “apparent disregard for other driver’s safety,” Fox 13 Memphis reported.
The suspect then hit a curb, jumped out of the car, and dropped a handgun on the ground and ran, according to authorities, who added that the gun was loaded with 14 live rounds in the magazine. No details were revealed about whether or not the mother and her children were harmed during the pursuit.
Officers were able to catch up with Jones and detained him. The motive behind the car theft was not disclosed, but Jones told police that the “keys are my baby mama’s, the keys to the stolen car right here in my pocket,” according to the affidavit.
However, it was not long before Jones managed to free himself from his handcuffs and escaped again, according to WREG-TV. He was caught shortly afterwards and taken into custody.
Jones has been charged with two counts of child abuse and neglect, being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun, escape, two counts of evading arrest, reckless driving, theft of property between $10,000 and $60,000, and unlawful possession of a weapon, Fox 13 Memphis reported.
Newsweek reached out to the Memphis Police Department for comment.
A similar incident in Virginia was reported last October when a woman stole a car that had the owner’s five children inside. The woman was reportedly walking from the scene of a car crash before she jumped in a bystander’s car and sped away. Police said at the time that “the five children were extremely shaken, but unharmed during the incident.”
The suspect, Markell Hancox, was charged with five counts of second-degree kidnapping, larceny of a motor vehicle, and leaving the scene of the accident. She was held on a $210,000 bond.
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