Arrests after car with baby inside stolen from driveway

Ten people have been charged after a car containing a baby was allegedly stolen from a suburban driveway in front of the mother in a horrific daytime robbery.

Eight teenagers and two adults have been arrested and seven vehicles seized as part of an investigation into an alleged theft of an SUV in north Queensland.

The offenders are accused of getting into a black Isuzu MU-X SUV parked outside a residence in Townsville and driving off at around 1.44pm on Monday.

The mother was reportedly cleaning the car with the sleeping baby inside when the alleged theft occurred.

“My soul left my body. It was probably the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me in my life,” the mother, who identified herself as Sarah for privacy reasons, told the Seven Network.

Minutes later, the stolen SUV pulled up down the street.

“The criminals placed the baby in her car seat on the sidewalk before fleeing again,” police said.

While no one was injured in the incident, the child was intervened by paramedics as a precaution.

A police helicopter helped officers locate the vehicle in a parking lot next to a white Ford Ranger that was allegedly stolen the day before.

“When police arrived, the Ford was engulfed in flames,” police said, and the flames were extinguished a short time later.

Police said the tire-dropping strategy was launched after seeing a number of stolen vehicles driving around Townsville on Monday night.

This resulted in five more stolen motor vehicles being disabled and 10 people being charged with 19 offenses unrelated to the SUV theft.

Police said investigations are ongoing to confirm connections to the stolen SUV.

A lawsuit was filed against five boys and three girls, aged between 14 and 17.

An 18-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman were also arrested.

They will appear in Townsville court this week.