PALM COAST, Fla. – A 5-year-old girl was safely reunited with her mother after the car she was in was stolen from a Palm Coast gas station, according to Flagler County deputies.
The incident started Wednesday evening when a woman said she was driving her friend, Andrew Allen, 27, and her 5-year-old daughter. According to the victim, she has known Allen since they were children but are not in a relationship.
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The victim said she parked the Dodge Journey at a Circle K gas station on Palm Coast Parkway. As she exited to go inside the business, Allen jumped in the driver’s seat, according to the arrest report. The woman said she asked Allen to unlock the doors as her daughter was still inside.
After repeated requests to unlock the car, Allen unlocked the front door and as she tried to open it, he drove the vehicle to the other side of the parking lot. She went to the vehicle and again asked him to open the doors. When he unlocked the doors, the victim said Allen shoved her throat with his hands, causing her to fall to the ground. Allen then jumped back in the car and drove off with the girl still inside, the victim told authorities.
Allen was stopped by deputies at U.S. 1 and Commerce Boulevard and deputies were able to check on the girl to confirm she was OK, according to the report.
Allen was arrested and charged with kidnapping, grand theft auto and simple battery. He was booked into the Flagler County Jail.