SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 23, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — A 23-year-old man turned himself in to police after stealing a car that had a child inside in Salt Lake City in the early hours of Monday morning.
Officers were dispatched on a report of a suspicious person in the area of the Courtyard Marriott, at 4843 W. Douglas Corrigan Way, which is just west of the Salt Lake International Airport, just before 3:45 a.m., the Salt Lake City Police Department said in a news release.
Prior to police arriving, the suspect, Francisco Esmerado, reportedly stole a vehicle belonging to a woman who was checking into the Microtel Inn and Suites at 61 N. Tommy Tompson Road, which is just east of the Courtyard Marriott.
There was a 12-year-old child waiting in the vehicle when Esmerado stole it, police said.
As Esmerado was entering the I-80 freeway eastbound, he observed an officer and promptly flagged him down to report he had just stolen the vehicle.
Esmerado was arrested for kidnapping and auto theft, and mother and child were reunited.
