Florida man Kevin Smith, 37 of Tampa is in the Hillsborough County jail after he carjacked a man in Tampa. What Smith didn’t realize is that the vehicle had two small children in it.
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The victim flagged down a Hillsborough County deputy who was on patrol and told him that he was just carjacked, and his two small children ages 4 and 8, were still in the vehicle. Hillsborough County Deputy Jonathan Pazmino Alvarez went into action and while never losing sight of the vehicle, quickly chased down the victims 2011 white Chevy Silverado pickup. The deputy ordered the driver to “stop the truck now” and “pull over into the parking lot” using his public address system and Smith complied, pulling over in a parking lot.
When Deputy Pazmino Alvarez approached the vehicle his body camera shows one of the children saying, ‘That’s not my dad!’ as well as “This guy robbed my dad’s car,” as he tells the driver to get out of the truck. Smith was initially non-compliant with the deputy and kept saying “It’s not me,” until finally complying with commands to exit the vehicle.
The two children were not injured and returned safely to their father.
“This situation could’ve been a lot worse had it not been for the swift action taken by Deputy Pazmino Alvarez,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “He halted what could have been an otherwise terrifying situation for any parent. Thanks to him, two children are safe and in the arms of their loved ones today.”
A fast-acting Florida deputy pursued and arrested a man accused of driving away in a stolen pickup truck with two children inside on Monday, body camera video shows. https://t.co/JBBwPvSp6a
— News 6 WKMG (@news6wkmg) October 12, 2022
'THAT'S NOT MY DAD': Two children were rescued only minutes after they were kidnapped in a carjacking Monday, according to police in Florida #8NN https://t.co/xR7577MCKy
— 8 News Now (@8NewsNow) October 13, 2022
'That's not my dad': Hillsborough deputy saves 2 children kidnapped in carjacking https://t.co/ZW9Nb7MHyy pic.twitter.com/CVKa422r99
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) October 12, 2022
Deputies identified the man behind the wheel as 37-year-old Kevin Smith. Smith is no stranger to the criminal justice system and has a criminal history dating back to 2003 in Hillsborough County.
Smith was arrested on two counts of felony kidnapping and one count of grand theft of a motor vehicle. He was transported to the Hillsborough County jail on Falkenburg Road where he’s being held without bond.
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