The child’s mother was shopping at Basics Meat Market at the time, purportedly less than 15 feet away from the car itself. Once the thief noticed the child, he made a quick U-turn in a nearby lot and returned to the scene of the crime. He then berated the mother for leaving the child in the unlocked car unattended and ordered her to remove them, which she promptly did. He then quickly drove off again in her 2013 silver Honda Pilot.
Beaverton police were quick to state that, technically, the fact that the mother was shopping so close to the car meant that the incident was not a crime of neglect. All the same, leaving her child there with the engine running and doors unlocked seems, by all accounts, a grievous error, and one that could have proven tragic were it not for this (somewhat) conscientious car thief.
As for the thief, he remains at large and the stolen car has not been recovered, but this story remains as an important reminder to keep young children close and secure, even at 9:00am on a Saturday morning shopping trip.
