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Mother and her child abducted from Target while putting groceries away

A mother and her 1-year-old son were abducted at gunpoint in front of a Target in Memphis, Tenn., according to police.

The mother, who was not immediately identified, told Memphis police she was putting groceries away when two men jumped out of a tan vehicle with the weapon and demanded cash in broad daylight. 

Both suspects forced the mother along with her young child, who was in a shopping cart, to drive to a nearby Regions Bank to make an $800 withdrawal from the ATM.

A photo of the goldish-tan vehicle used to kidnap the mother and her son is shown from Walmart’s surveillance footage. Memphis Police Department
One of the kidnapping suspects is spotted on a Walmart security camera with a shopping cart. Memphis Police Department
Police say the kidnapping suspects are still on the run, as no arrests could be made when they arrived. Memphis Police Department

The mother was forced to sit in the front seat next to one suspect who sat in the passenger seat, while the other suspect sat in the backseat with her child, according to WREG-TV.

After the suspects pocketed the $800, the woman told Memphis police she was handed back her card and dropped off at the same Target from which she was abducted. 

The mother immediately ran inside to alert a Target employee. 

“It’s very shocking, can’t believe it almost,” said Callie Alt, who was shopping at the store at the time with her 3-year-old son, according to Fox 13 News.

Officials said nobody was injured in the horrific situation. No arrests had been made as of early Friday.

Police obtained surveillance footage from a Walmart security camera showing the two men walking around the store, as footage also showed them driving the same goldish-tan vehicle the mother described.

The mother said the suspects demanded she give them money at gunpoint in the parking lot while she was putting groceries in the car. Google Maps

A cash reward of up to $2,000 from Crime Stoppers of Memphis and Shelby County, Inc. was announced for information on the suspects’ whereabouts.