Kids were inside vehicle when it was stolen, police say

A frantic mother chased her stolen SUV, which had her two young children still inside it, from a convenience store in North Las Vegas on Monday night.

Fortunately, the children were unharmed, police said.

A suspect, identified by authorities as Mario Anthony Estrada, 38, was arrested and faces numerous charges.

According to the North Las Vegas Police Department, officers responded to a convenience store in the 4700 block of West Cheyenne Avenue at 8:25 p.m. on Monday after a report of a stolen silver Dodge SUV with two small children inside.

“The mother pursued the vehicle on foot but was unable to catch up to the fleeing vehicle,” a statement from North Las Vegas police said.

The man who stole the car “eventually pulled over and let the kids out somewhere on Decatur (Boulevard) and then fled the area,” the statement said.

A North Las Vegas police traffic officer then saw the vehicle entering Interstate 15 southbound from Cheyenne Avenue and pursued the vehicle, police said. At the time, it wasn’t known if the kids or the mom were still in the vehicle.

Police chased the stolen vehicle to I-15 and Charleston Boulevard, where the driver crashed into another car and tried to run away before he was taken into custody at 9:40 p.m.

Estrada faces kidnapping, child abuse, grand larceny of motor vehicle, reckless driving and other charges.

Contact Brett Clarkson at bclarkson@reviewjournal.com or 561-324-6421. Follow @BrettClarkson_ on Twitter.