A missing 2-year-old girl who was reportedly taken when a car was stolen Friday afternoon has been found safe, Irving police say.
Police said at about 3:30 p.m. that 2-year-old Timba Lopez was taken during an auto theft. Shortly before 4 p.m. police said the car and child had been located and that the little girl was now with a family member.
During a news conference Friday afternoon, Irving police spokesman Robert Reeves said police were called at about 1:45 p.m. when a woman reported that her vehicle had been taken with her child inside.
The woman told police she'd picked a friend up for a ride and that when they stopped at the intersection of Texas 183 and Story Road the man jumped out of the vehicle and began running away. The woman said she followed the man, leaving her child in the car.
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A person who stopped behind the woman's vehicle reported seeing the man and woman run from the vehicle and then noticed the child trying to get out of the car. The person then got out of their own car to make sure the child stayed safely inside the vehicle.
Moments later, the man who ran from the vehicle returned, got behind the wheel and drove away, police said.
The woman called 911 and said her car had been taken by a man she'd only known a few weeks and that she didn't know his name. With that information, believing the child may be in imminent danger, Irving police began the process of activating an Amber Alert.
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Over the next half hour, investigators learned that the man who took the car was the child's father and that he'd run from the vehicle because he felt like the woman had been driving too fast. He said he took the vehicle, and the child because he feared for the child's safety.
The car and the child were driven back to Irving by the child's grandmother. Police verified the child was safe and healthy before returning him to the custody of family members.
Because the child was located before the Amber Alert was officially activated, no alerts were sent out to phones.
Reeves said the woman was talking with the police Friday afternoon.
It's not clear if any charges will be filed in connection with the report and incident.