Quick response by Midtown Hills Precinct officers led to this afternoon’s arrest of Antoine Smith Jr., 22, a short time after he stole an SUV parked outside the St. Thomas Hospital emergency room with a nine-year-old child asleep in the back seat.
The child’s father had brought a relative to the hospital for emergency care and left the Lincoln Navigator running while he went inside. He came out to see the SUV heading on 20th Avenue toward Charlotte Avenue. The father ran after the vehicle and saw it turn onto Dr. D.B. Todd Boulevard. He flagged down a police officer resulting in an extensive search. Officer Zachary Plese spotted the SUV at a church on Herman Street. Officers took Smith into custody without incident. The nine-year-old was unharmed.
Smith is charged with especially aggravated kidnapping and auto theft. A judicial commissioner set his bond at $47,000.
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Antoine Smith Jr., 22