Woman allegedly leaves her child in stolen car while trying to avoid arrest in Parkland

TACOMA — A woman was arrested after allegedly stealing two cars with a man and leaving her child in one of them Tuesday.

A Pierce County sheriff’s deputy saw two suspected stolen vehicles drive into an apartment complex in the 500 block of 108th Street South in Parkland at 1 p.m. A backup deputy arrived so they could contact the drivers, according to a Pierce County Sheriff’s Department blog post.

A 37-year-old female and a 36-year-old male quickly exited the cars when deputies approached. The woman got out of the driver’s seat and picked up a small child from the backseat. When the man and woman walked to the complex, deputies ordered them to stop, the post said.

The man and woman complied and were detained. When deputies looked inside one of the cars, they found an 8-year-old boy. The woman eventually admitted that she was the child’s mother, the post said.

One of the cars reportedly was stolen from Tacoma. The other car had not been reported stolen. Deputies saw student paperwork from Pacific Lutheran University in the car and reached out to campus safety. They located the student and confirmed the car was no longer where he parked it, the post said.

The man and women were booked into Pierce County Jail for investigation of possessing a stolen vehicle. The woman also had a warrant for possession of a stolen vehicle, and she was allegedly in possession of numerous shaved keys, the post said.

The women’s children were released to their grandmother, the post said.