An attempted carjacking in Louisiana resulted in a 9-year-old North Texas girl getting run over by one of the suspects on Monday, leaving her hospitalized in intensive care.
The incident occurred at a Love’s Travel Stop in the town of Minden, where a Midlothian family stopped on their road trip to Florida for a cheerleading competition.
“While traveling to Orlando, FL for Allstar Worlds, the family made a quick stop at a very well lit, populated, gas station. The older sisters, 13 and 17, made it back to the car before Dad and little sister. A man, who police believe to be involved in a trafficking ring, got into the car with the girls,” explained a GoFundMe page raising money for the family’s medical expenses.
A second suspect in a pickup truck then allegedly attempted to run over the father as he ran toward his vehicle. However, the suspect apparently changed course and tried to run over the youngest girl, 9-year-old Shelby.
“By the grace of God, Shelby rolled under the truck, missing the tires but still sustained serious injuries,” the page reads.
She was hospitalized with broken bones and a road rash. A head wound of hers required staples and stitches.
“The suspect in the truck just floored it and barreled over the 9-year-old. Runs over the little girl, takes off, picks the other suspect up, and then they flee the scene,” said Minden Police Chief Jared McIver, Fox 4 reported.
According to The Dallas Morning News, two suspects are in custody. However, their identities have not been revealed by authorities because they are minors, both 16 years old.
The GoFundMe page ended with a warning:
“Don’t leave your kids alone, even if they are almost grown. Lock your doors. Take the child lock off if you do not need it. Dad turning on the emergency break is ultimately what gave him the extra time to make it to the car while the criminal was trying to figure out how to turn it off. Don’t let your guard down. If this can happen to them, it can happen to anyone!”
As previously reported in The Dallas Express, carjackings and motor vehicle thefts are a serious problem in North Texas, but especially in Dallas, where City leaders have yet to get such crimes under control. According to the City of Dallas Open Data crime analytics dashboard, there have been 5,067 auto thefts this year as of Tuesday, a jump of roughly 17.5% over the same period in 2022.
