Two children were found safe after the car in which they were left unattended was stolen from a South Fulton gas station Saturday night.
A 9-year-old and 3-month-old were left in a running car outside a BP on Cascade Road while the driver went inside around 8:45 p.m., South Fulton police said on Facebook. When the woman came outside a few minutes later, the car and the children were gone.
Police began searching for the children immediately with the help of officers from Atlanta and East Point, according to the South Fulton Police Department. The two children were found safe shortly after, along with the woman’s car.
The suspect was not found, but South Fulton police said an investigation is ongoing.
Saturday night’s incident is the latest example of a car being stolen with the keys inside. Earlier this year, an Atlanta police spokesman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that 65% of auto thefts are the result of keys being left inside cars.
The increase in thefts, largely attributable to the keyless push-to-start ignition found in many modern cars, has not abated despite many high-profile cases involving celebrities and public figures. People often forget their key fobs, leaving them in the car’s console or a cupholder. Many cars are stolen when they’re left running at gas stations or convenience stores while the driver makes a quick dash inside, the AJC previously reported.
According to Atlanta police statistics, car thefts this year have increased 17% compared to the same period in 2020. There have been nearly 2,200 auto thefts reported in the city so far in 2021 — numbers that don’t include other parts of the metro area like South Fulton.
“If people would quit leaving their cars running, we’d be able to allocate our resources elsewhere,” Atlanta police spokesman Sgt. Jarius Daugherty said.
Anyone with information about Saturday night’s car theft in South Fulton is asked to call 911 or contact Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta at 404-577-8477.
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