Teen apologizes for stealing SUV with 6-month-old baby inside

Police: Teen took vehicle Friday afternoon in Little Haiti neighborhood

MIAMI – A 13-year-old boy accused of carjacking a SUV with a 6-month-old baby inside is apologizing for the incident.

The SUV was stolen Friday afternoon from 8450 Northeast Miami Court in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood.

An infant boy was in the back seat, police said.

"I'd like to say sorry, I didn't mean to do it. Something just came to my head. I just did it," the teen said. "Everything was running in the car. The car was running, the door was open."

"And you just thought, 'I'm going to take it?'" asked Local 10 News' Ben Kennedy.

"Yeah," he said.

Because he is a minor, Local 10 News is not identifying the teen. Local 10 News met with him and his family after a court hearing Saturday morning to ask for an explanation of his actions.

"Why did you take the car in the first place?" Kennedy asked.

"There was nobody, like, by the car. The car was open," the teen said.

Police said the infant's mother had put her baby boy in the back seat of the car. She stepped just a few feet away to tend to her older children. That's when the teen, by his own admission, jumped in the car.

"I see the car backing out and I run after it, trying to explain, 'My baby's in the car,' and they kept on going and my heart just sunk," the mother said.

"The mother was behind me, like, she was crying and I didn't know like why she was crying for. I was on 84th Street. When I turned to 78th Street, I heard the sound and I looked and I see the baby," the teen said. "I parked the car and I see police came to the corner, and they told me to put my hands in the air and park the car."

Officers caught the teen near Northeast Second Avenue and 78th Street. He surrendered without fighting. The baby was unhurt and later reunited with his mother, who said she is angered by the teen's reckless choice.

"At his age, that's not what he should be thinking about in his life," the mother said.

"Will you ever steal a car or do something like this again?" Kennedy asked.

"No, never," the teen said.

Follow Ben Kennedy on Twitter @BenKennedyTV

Follow Liane Morejon on Twitter @LianeMorejonTV

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About the Authors:

Liane Morejon is an Emmy-winning reporter who joined the Local 10 News family in January 2010. Born and raised in Coral Gables, Liane has a unique perspective on covering news in her own backyard.