CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man is arrested, accused of carjacking a mother and taking her baby for a wild ride through east Charlotte. Police have identified the suspect as Maurice Rakestraw.

• It happened on Eastway Drive
• The toddler is doing OK
• Officers used a helicopter to find Rakestraw

Rakestraw is charged with 1st Degree Kidnapping, three counts of Armed Robbery, Felony Hit-and-Run, Misdemeanor Hit-and-Run, Felony Flee to Elude, Larceny of Motor Vehicle, Firearm by Felon, Possession of a Stolen Firearm, Possession of a Firearm on Educational Property, and Resist/Obstruct/Delay. Rakestraw also had multiple outstanding warrants.

Police surrounded her overturned car on Eastway Drive. People passing by were able to rescue the child.

Investigators say it all started when they tried to stop a car, the passenger ran off, and then stole the woman’s vehicle. Police say that the driver wrecked and ran away. A woman who works at a daycare nearby came outside to see the chaos.

“When they told me what had happened, you know that it was a carjacking with a child my heart just breaks. My heart just breaks that some idiot would do something like that,” daycare employee Sienovian Daniel said.

The toddler is doing OK. Officers used a helicopter to find Rakestraw near Mary Oaks Elementary.