Texas police seeking man who stole vehicle with 4 children inside

Texas police are asking the public to help identify a man who they say stole a vehicle Friday afternoon and quickly abandoned it when he noticed four children were inside.

The incident happened after a mother, working as a food delivery driver, left her SUV unlocked to pick up a food order at a business near Rocky Point Trail and Boat Club Road, the Lake Worth Police Department said. 

While the mother was away from the vehicle, a man jumped into the driver’s seat and began driving away, police said. He eventually ditched the vehicle in a Dollar General parking lot about half a mile away.

“I think he realized, once he saw the kids in the backseat, he realized he was in over his head and it wasn’t a risk he wanted to take,” Lake Worth police Sgt. Sean Ferguson told FOX4 Dallas-Fort Worth.

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The children were unharmed and reunited with their mother, police said.

Police released video footage of the suspect running away through a parking lot.

Authorities described the suspect as a Hispanic male with a goatee and tattoos on his arms.

Ferguson reminded drivers to lock their car doors and not to leave important belongings inside vehicles.

“And again, never leave your kids unattended, whether it’s locked or unlocked,” he said.