Pregnant mom run over trying to save toddler from car thieves, deputies say

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. (Gray News) - A pregnant woman is recovering at the hospital after authorities say she was beaten and run over while struggling to stop car thieves from driving off with her 2-year-old son.

Officials with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office say a 34-year-old pregnant mother returned home Thursday around 3:30 p.m. with her two kids and pulled into her driveway in Libertyville, Illinois. WLS cited investigators in reporting she is 6 months pregnant.

The mother took one of her kids inside and came back to get the other, a 2-year-old boy, when a white BMW pulled into the driveway behind her car. Deputies say a man got out of the passenger side of the BMW and struggled to get into the mother’s car, as she tried to keep her son safe.

“She, of course, was fighting for her child, as her child was inside the car. However, this offender knocked her to the ground, battered her and jumped into the driver seat of her Volkswagen,” said Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli, as reported by WLS.

Deputies say the suspect drove off with the 2-year-old boy still inside the car, and the driver of the BMW fled the scene, as well. As the suspects left, police say one of the drivers ran over the mother, seriously injuring her.

Despite her injuries, the mother was able to call 911.

“She sustained some broken bones and some really serious injuries. They then fled; however, she had the strength and ability to call 911,” Covelli told WLS.

As sheriff’s detectives searched the general area, a person working at a Waukegan business called 911 to report two drivers that had entered the parking lot, left a small child behind and then fled. The 911 caller rescued the child before he could wander onto a busy road.

Sheriff’s deputies and Waukegan Police responded to the business and confirmed the child found was the abducted 2-year-old boy.

The mother’s stolen car was later found in a parking lot.

Due to her injuries, the mother was hospitalized, and she underwent multiple surgeries, WLS reports. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Investigators believe the mother may have been targeted, according to WLS. Covelli said the suspects may have followed her home after a stop she made in a nearby town.

Authorities are still looking for the white BMW involved in the crime, which was reportedly stolen from a Waukegan car dealership. It is described as a 2000s model with a black bumper and loud exhaust.

The man who allegedly attacked the mother and stole her car is described as tall and thin. He was wearing a grey zip-up hooded sweatshirt and a light green facemask.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division or Lake County CrimeStoppers.