ORLANDO, Fla. – A father jumped on the hood of his car Friday to try and stop a man who deputies said stole the vehicle from an Orlando 7-Eleven with the father's two young daughters still inside it, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said that the father was inside the convenience store on Central Florida Parkway at 8:30 a.m. when the suspect attempted to take the family vehicle.
The father jumped on the car to try and stop him, but the suspect, identified as Donovan Campbell, drove away with the 2-year-old and 6-year-old in the back seat, deputies said.
The father told News 6 that the family was headed to Disney World on Friday morning when they stopped at the 7-Eleven. A family friend was in another vehicle, which was parked next to them.
Campbell didn't get very far, according to the report. He crashed the vehicle in front of a Wawa a minute down the road and ran away.
"I see him five seconds after the crash. I seen the guy in black trousers, white shirt, running out of the car," witness Andi Turner said.
Using the friend's vehicle, the father drove after Campbell and found his car crashed with his children inside, he told News 6.
Good Samaritans saw the crash and stayed with the children until the father and deputies arrived.
"I can't imagine. It's unimaginable. It's scary as a parent," tourist Andy Lubzsynksi said.
Campbell was arrested within an hour, after he was found hiding in the bathroom at a Publix across the street from the Wawa, deputies said.
The family had come from Arizona for a vacation in Orlando, according to the Sheriff's Office. The father received minor injuries to his arm in the incident and both children are OK.
The father said he does not want this incident to stop them from enjoying their trip to Orlando.
Campbell has been booked into the Orange County jail. He's facing several charges, including carjacking, kidnapping and aggravated battery with a vehicle.