Mom Beaten, Run Over As Man Steals Her SUV With Son Inside: Police

LIBERTYVILLE, IL — Authorities are looking for a car thief accused of beating a pregnant woman as she tried to get her young child out of the back of her SUV in Libertyville.

The man then stole the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas with the 2-year-old boy still inside, running over the 34-year-old mom as he drove away from the in the 16000 block of Route 137 in Libertyville Thursday afternoon, police said.

The 2-year-old boy was abandoned a short time later in a parking lot at a business in the 2200 block of Lakeside Drive in Waukegan by the suspect, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

A person at the business came to the child's aid and was able to bring him to safety before he wandered onto a nearby busy roadway, police said. The Good Samaritan called police and deputies were able to reunite the boy with his mom.

The 34-year-old woman was taken to a hospital, where she is in serious but stable condition. Christopher Covelli, deputy chief for the Lake County Sheriff's Office, said she will undergo a surgical procedure Friday on her broken bones, Covelli said.

Her unborn child is OK, he said.

An investigation into the incident revealed the woman had pulled into her driveway and brought one of her children inside at about 3:35 p.m. Thursday. She was coming back to retrieve her 2-year-old son when a white BMW pulled into her driveway behind her car, according to a news release.

A man, who is described as being tall, thin and wearing a gray zip-up hooded sweatshirt and light green face mask, got out of the BMW and tried to get into the Volkswagen as the mom tried to protect her young son, according to authorities. The man then beat the woman, knocking her to the ground, and stole the car with the child inside.

He and the driver of the BMW fled the area. One of the drivers ran over the woman as they fled, causing serious injuries to her extremities, according to a news release.

The mom was still able to call 911 and deputies responded immediately, police said. They searched the area and contacted Volkswagen Car-Net, which is a service that can track Volkswagen vehicles. Deputies were then able to track down the Volkswagen.

Police are still searching for the white BMW, which was stolen from a car dealership in Waukegan. It's described as a 2000s model with a black bumper and loud exhaust.

Anyone who spots the stolen BMW or has any information about this incident can contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division at 847-377-4000 or contact Lake County CrimeStoppers at www.lakecountycrimestoppers.org.