Car thief found hiding in dumpster after stealing car with 1-year-old inside, police say

ATLANTA — Atlanta police say a 1-year-old is safe after a car was stolen with the child in the back.

Police said the car was stolen just after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

A short time later, the stolen Ford Focus was spotted in the area of University and Pryor streets.

Police said they attempted to pull the car over. The driver then tried to speed away but hit a stop sign.

That’s when the driver and another person inside got out and started to run. They ran in different directions.

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Using the police helicopter and K9 units, officers began canvassing the area around Richmond Circle and Jonesboro Road.

Using the chopper’s heat-sensing technology, officers were able to find the driver, Terrance Patterson, who police said was hiding in a large dumpster under several mounds of trash.

His passenger remains on the run.

The 1-year-old child appeared to have been dropped off inside a lobby of a building in the 400 block of West Peachtree Street NE.

The baby is said to be OK and was reunited with their family.

Patterson has been charged with kidnapping, cruelty to children, theft by taking and obstruction.

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