A Florida man suspected of carjacking a mother after a car accident is caught on tape leaving her 3-year-old toddler daughter on the side of the road. The man is now in police custody.

Police arrested Willio Petioma, 35, on Sunday after an anonymous tip led to the man being identified as the person police believe was caught on camera leaving the toddler on the side of the road in her car seat in Oakland Park, Florida, which is around 34 miles north of Miami.

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What happened?

The carjacking occurred last week on June 26, at nearly 8:30 a.m., stated the Broward Sheriff's Office in a press release.

The victims, a mother and her daughter, were in a car accident before her car was stolen. When the woman left her car to exchange information with the other driver, an unknown man ran into her and drove away while the toddler was still in the backseat of the car, according to police.

The mother then grabbed onto the passenger-side door while she yelled that her child was in the car. The man continued to drive, and the mother was dragged until she fell to the ground as he drove away.

Moments after the carjacking, the man was caught on surveillance tape removing the child from the car and placing her on the sidewalk in her car seat, according to the press release.

The suspect is later seen abandoning the car and then captured on video using the victim's credit card at a Family Dollar store.

What is the suspect being charged with?

Petioma is being charged with the following, according to police:

  • Kidnapping
  • Carjacking
  • Interfering with custody of a minor
  • Illegal use of a credit card

Petioma was also arrested on a warrant for possession of cocaine and resisting an officer in Palm Beach County, which is around 53 miles north of Broward County.

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