COLUMBUS — Authorities are still looking for the man they say stole a van with a 2-year-old girl inside, prompting an Amber Alert in central Ohio on Christmas Eve morning.
**UPDATE 12/24 10:55am AMBER ALERT CANCELLED:
Thanks to alert citizen 2yo Miski Ahmed was found near the Continent (N. Columbus) around 10:45am. The minivan was also located. The suspect fled. Miski is being taken to @nationwidekids for an evaluation. Investigation ongoing. #CPD https://t.co/ypd5J9z4F5— Columbus Division of Police (@ColumbusPolice) December 24, 2017
Columbus police say Miski Ahmed was found in the van around 10:45 a.m. Sunday, nearly six hours after it was stolen. Police say the girl’s mother was attacked by the suspect as she approached the van just before 5:00 a.m. in the 2100 block of Albert Avenue but wasn’t hurt.
The theft triggered an Amber Alert. Police say a passer-by aware of the alert spotted the van in a parking lot in the area of the Continent on the North Side and contacted authorities.
Police say the girl appears to be in fine but was taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus to be evaluated.
Columbus police Sgt. Terry McConnell says the theft appeared to have been committed by a stranger whose only intention was to steal the van.
The suspect is described as a 30-year-old black man who goes by the name “East & West,” and was wearing a red shirt and tan pants at the time of the incident.