Car stolen in South Hill with toddler inside crashes minutes later

SOUTH HILL, Wash. -- A toddler was kidnapped briefly this morning after someone stole a car from a South Hill driveway with the toddler inside.

According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, a man called 911 about 7 a.m. Wednesday and said his vehicle was stolen from his driveway on 93rd Avenue East with his toddler inside. He had placed the child inside the vehicle and left it running while he went inside to get a second child.

When he came back out, his vehicle was gone with the toddler inside.

At the same time that the man called 911, someone else called 911 to report that a silver Mazda had crashed at a Walgreens on Meridian with a child in the car.

The child is safe, but the car thief is still on the loose, deputies said Wednesday morning.