HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A deputy is being credited with saving two children who were inside of a carjacked vehicle, just minutes after they were taken.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that Deputy Jonathan Pazmino Alvarez was flagged down by a man who said his truck had been stolen. Inside the truck were the man’s two young children.
The deputy immediately began following the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado, and managed to stop the vehicle, WFLA reported.
The sheriff’s office shared video from Alvarez’s body camera on its Facebook page, which shows Alvarez behind the wheel calling for the truck to stop over the cruiser’s speaker system.
When the truck stopped, Alvarez approached the vehicle. Children’s voices could be heard inside the truck, saying “That’s not my dad.”
The driver, identified as Kevin Smith, was arrested on charges of kidnapping and grand theft, and was ordered to be held on a $202,000 bond, according to jail records.
“This situation could’ve been a lot worse had it not been for the swift action taken by Deputy Pazmino Alvarez,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. “He halted what could have been an otherwise terrifying situation for any parent. Thanks to him, two children are safe and in the arms of their loved ones today.”
The children, ages 4 and 8, were not injured and returned to their family, deputies said.
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