Bodycam footage shows carjacker who stole SUV with two children inside

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‘That’s not my dad!’: Bodycam footage shows carjacker who stole an SUV with two children, 4 and 8, inside being arrested by cops in Florida after telling officers he was afraid they would ‘punch’ him

  • Kevin Smith, 37, has been charged with kidnapping after he stole a pickup truck in which two children were still in the back
  • Deputy Jonathan Pazmino Alvarez pursued the truck after being  flagged down by the truck’s driver – the children’s dad 
  • Within minutes, the suspect was placed in handcuffs and taken into custody
  • Smith charged with Grand Theft Motor Vehicle, two counts of Felony Kidnapping
  • Two children, aged 4 and 8, were not injured and returned safely to their father

Police bodycam footage captured the moment the Florida driver of a white pickup truck was arrested and placed into handcuffs having stolen the vehicle with two children aged four and eight, still seated inside.

Deputy Jonathan Pazmino Alvarez of the Hillsborough County Sheriff was flagged down at around 6:45pm on Monday by the truck’s actual driver and children’s father. Police sprang into action and pursued the vehicle. 

Within a few minutes, the suspect, Kevin Smith, was pulled over by police who conducted a traffic stop. 

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man for kidnapping after he stole a truck occupied by two children

Within minutes, suspect, Kevin Smith, 37, was stopped and could be seen in the driver’s seat

When Alaverez opened the door to the vehicle, the children told the officer that the car did not belong to the man behind the wheel. 

Smith, 37, was then told to get out of the car and hand over the keys but initially refused.

‘It’s not me!’ he kept repeating to police, which only added to the confusion.

‘You need to step out of the car while I work out what’s going on,’ Alvarez demanded.

Smith continued to refuse the officer’s commands to get out of the vehicle. 

‘You’re going to punch me!’ Smith said as he refused to move from the driver’s seat.

Eventually, Alvarez reassured the suspect that he was not going to punch him and instead quickly placed him into handcuffs. 

While the arrest was taking place, one of the children in the car could be heard telling the deputy, ‘That’s not my dad!’ 

Smith faces one count of Grand Theft Motor Vehicle and two counts of Felony Kidnapping.

The children, meanwhile, were safely returned to their father shortly after Smith’s arrest.

‘This situation could’ve been a lot worse had it not been for the swift action taken by Deputy Pazmino Alvarez.  He halted what could have been an otherwise terrifying situation for any parent,’ Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement.

‘Thanks to him, two children are safe and in the arms of their loved ones today.’

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