Surrounded by relatives, the children involved in Friday’s dangerous pursuit through Los Angeles have been released from the hospital and are able to go home, their family told KTLA. The youngest, age 2, was discharged Saturday, while the older two children, ages 7 and 9, were released Sunday evening.
“Honestly it feels so good because I know the kids were scared… they just found themselves in the hospital… knowing that they’ll be able to go home,” said cousin, Katherine Tax.
The parents asked that their identities, and those of their three children, be protected and declined to show their faces or provide names.
Speaking in Spanish, the children’s mother said the moment keeps replaying in her mind: “You see someone in a black hoodie get in the car and drive off.”
Investigators said the ordeal began just before 7 p.m. Friday when a male suspect jumped into a gray Chrysler sedan left running outside a convenience store in East Los Angeles and drove away with three children inside.
The children’s father, in another vehicle nearby, tried to stop the car. “He did his best to grab onto the steering wheel to stop the car but unfortunately he wasn’t able to last,” relatives said.
Deputies attempted a traffic stop, but the suspect led them on a chase that weaved through parts of Los Angeles and continued to Pacific Coast Highway near Kanan Dume Road in Malibu, investigators said.
During the pursuit, the man became agitated and “was telling the kids to throw stuff out of the sunroof… really aggressive with the kids,” according to the relatives.
The pursuit ended when the suspect crashed into another vehicle on PCH in Malibu, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. He ran from the wreckage but was caught and taken into custody; he remains hospitalized and has not been publicly identified.
All three children were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to LASD. The family said the 7-year-old sustained a serious leg injury and will need ongoing care, but the children are now able to go home.
“Nobody could’ve expected this tragedy and… thank you to everyone who has helped with donations, it’s just a huge relief for the family,” Tax said, noting a GoFundMe has been started to help with expenses.
Formal charges are pending as the booking process is completed, according to LASD.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Peter Levine or the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station at 323-264-4151. Anonymous tips may be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or at lacrimestoppers.org.
Lindsey Peña contributed to this report.
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