Hillsborough sheriff: Man arrested for kidnapping after stealing truck with two kids inside
TAMPA, Fla. - Hillsborough deputies arrested a man for kidnapping after they say he stole a truck with two young children inside.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said the incident happened Monday evening around 6:45 p.m. in the area of North 15th Street and East 137th Avenue in Tampa.
A father flagged down Hillsborough Deputy Jonathan Pazmino Alvarez, saying his pickup truck had just been stolen with his two children, ages 4 and 8, still inside.
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The sheriff's office said Deputy Alvarez spotted the suspect fleeing in the 2011 white Chevrolet Silverado and immediately pursued the vehicle without losing sight of it.
The deputy managed to conduct a traffic stop a few minutes later, and arrested the suspect who they said was behind the wheel, 37-year-old Kevin Smith.
At one point, one of the children in the car could be heard telling the deputy, "That's not my dad!"
The children were not injured and returned safely to their father.
"This situation could've been a lot worse had it not been for the swift action taken by Deputy Pazmino Alvarez. He halted what could have been an otherwise terrifying situation for any parent," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a provided statement. "Thanks to him, two children are safe and in the arms of their loved ones today."
Smith is charged with one count of grand theft of a motor vehicle and two counts of felony kidnapping. He is being held without bond.