A man and woman from Rhode Island wanted for allegedly kidnapping their two young children and fleeing the state with them were arrested in Baltimore County this week.
The Warwick Police Department said the parents, identified as Sahaira Villanueva and Alexandro Legreat, fled the state on Saturday, after taking their children out of a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant during a visit supervised by the state’s Department of Children, Youth & Families.
Authorities in Warwick contacted Maryland State Police for help in apprehending the suspects after learning through emergency cell phone ping information that they were approaching Maryland.
Officers in the Baltimore County Police Department’s Essex precinct were alerted that the vehicle was in their district around 4 p.m. Officers followed the vehicle and the suspects refused to stop when the police cruiser’s lights and sirens were activated, according to a county police spokesperson.
Officers then deployed stop sticks, which deflated several of the car’s tires, causing the suspects to hit a curb. Villanueva and Legreat exited the vehicle and attempted to run away with the children before they were apprehended, police said.
A Baltimore County police dog bit Legreat in the leg during the arrest. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries, police say. Villanueva was taken into custody without further incident. The two children were not hurt but were transported to the hospital to be evaluated.
No police or civilian cars were damaged during the chase, officials said.
Both suspects are expected to be extradited to Rhode Island to face charges.
Baltimore County Police will charge the pair in connection to observed traffic violations and an alleged assault on an officer, according to authorities. State Police in Maryland will be assisting their counterparts in Rhode Island with their investigation.
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