A man accused of stealing a car with a 4-year-old boy inside it in Bridgeview this week, sparking an Amber Alert in Illinois, has been charged, officials say.
According to a Bridgeview Police Department spokesman, 28-year-old Rudy Guitierrez faces multiple charges in connection with the incident, which happened Monday evening.
Spokesman Ray Hanania said 4-year-old Liam Barbarasa was inside his father's car just after 5:30 p.m. at a 7-Eleven near 79th and Roberts Road when the father went inside to pick up a pizza.
The father exited the store and discovered his vehicle, with his child still inside, had been taken, Hanania said. The incident was reported to police and an Amber Alert was issued.
At around 9:30 p.m., officers responding to a suspicious vehicle blocking a fire hydrant in the 4000 block of West Belle Plaine discovered the car with the child still inside.
Authorities said the child was seemingly unharmed and was taken to Swedish Covenant Hospital for observation.
Gutierrez, of Lyons, was determined to be a suspect "based on eye-witness accounts and information from the investigation," Hanania said, adding that he was "known as an individual who often hung around the area panhandling."
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He was ultimately charged with aggravated kidnapping, vehicular invasion, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and unlawful use of a credit card.
Gutierrez, who officials said was on parole, is expected to appear in bond court Wednesday morning.
It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.
