Police: Suspect fled to residence after stealing car with 2 kids inside

LACEY -- Police are looking for an alleged carjacker who stole a car with young children inside before ditching the vehicle a short time later and running to a nearby residence.

Police received a call around 7 a.m. that a car with two children, ages 3 and 5, inside had been stolen from the 3800 block of College Street SE, Lacey police said. School officials said the crime occurred near Paramount Christian Academy PreSchool and Komachin Middle School.

At 7:40 a.m., the two children were found unharmed still seated in the back of the car, dumped by the suspect in the 2600 block of College Street SE.

The suspect fled on foot, and Lacey police, Thurston County sheriff's deputies and the Washington State Patrol looked for him with a police K9. The K9 track led officers to a home in the 45000 block of 35th Court SE, where law enforcement issued a search warrant. Residents allegedly did not cooperate with police, and officers knocked down the front door and detained two people inside, Lacey police said.

The suspect was not found in the home, but law enforcement officers believe he was there just prior to their arrival.

The suspect was described as a white male, 5'10" tall in his late-20s to mid-30s. He has short brown hair with dark clothes and no jacket. Anyone with information on the crime is encouraged to call 911.

The father of the children works for the Thurston County Sheriff's Office, sources said.