Thief takes BMW, finds infant inside

A car thief got more than he expected in Smyrna Friday morning when he drove away with a 6-month-old girl.

The infant was found unharmed several minutes later when the car was abandoned about two miles away at Bolton Road and Parrott Avenue in Atlanta.

The car thief took the 2003 BMW 330i from an open garage on Bright Hampton Drive off South Cobb Drive. The father strapped his daughter into her car seat, then returned to the house to retrieve a credit card, police said.

“While inside, the father heard his car being driven away,” said Cobb police spokesman Nathan McCreary. “He runs outside to see his BMW being followed by a white or pearl Cadillac Escalade.”

Police described the incident as an auto theft, not a kidnapping or carjacking.

A witness saw the suspect get out of the BMW and get into the Escalade with several other men. That person called police and waited with the stolen car.

Police do not have a detailed description of the suspects, only that they are looking for four men.

The incident is a reminder to always be on the lookout for criminals, police said.

“You think you’re safe in your home in the garage,” said McCreary. “You’re supposed to feel safe, and it’s a shame you can’t. You always have to be careful.”