Car with 2-year-old stolen in San Pablo, woman arrested

Car stolen with child inside in East Bay

A car was stolen with a child inside in San Pablo on Monday afternoon, according to police.

SAN PABLO, Calif. - A car was stolen with a child inside in San Pablo on Monday afternoon. The child was unharmed and a woman was arrested, according to police.

The San Pablo Police Department received an initial report around 1:25 p.m. regarding the theft of a vehicle. The victim told police her 2-year-old child was inside the vehicle when it was taken from the 1000 block of California Avenue.

Within 20 minutes, officers located the stolen vehicle and the child in the area of Barrett Avenue and Hayes Street in Richmond.

In a subsequent update, San Pablo police said Richmond police located the stolen vehicle with the unharmed child inside. The child was reunited with the mother.

"Based on nearby surveillance, a female was seen taking the victim's vehicle," San Pablo police wrote on social media. "Using the victim's cell phone, which was taken from the vehicle, officers discovered the suspect was in the Oakland area."

The investigation into the incident led officers to Oakland, where one suspect was arrested.

Officers located the suspect, identified as Joy Taueetia, 35, of Oakland, on the 2900 block of Markin Luther King Ave. San Pablo police said the suspect was observed with two unidentified women getting into a white 2016 Hyundai Tuscon.

Police said they attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle, but it immediately fled. A short pursuit ensued before the suspects fled from the vehicle on foot near 15th and Derby in Oakland's Fruitvale District.

The Oakland Police Department said they assisted San Pablo police with this incident. Police detained the driver, but the two other suspects were not found.

"After comparing surveillance footage, it was confirmed the vehicle theft/kidnapping suspect in San Pablo was the person arrested in Oakland," San Pablo police said.

Police said records show the Hyundai was stolen out of Hayward on March 3.

Taueetia, who has prior auto-thefts on her record, was booked into Contra Costa County Jail on vehicle theft and kidnapping charges.

Police are investigating to see if any other suspects were involved in this incident.

KTVU's Henry Lee contributed to this report.

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