COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — For the first time, the family of a two-year-old boy who was in the backseat of a car when it was stolen is speaking out.
The family of Geovani Salazar-President, the boy who was in the stolen car, released the following statement regarding the incident:
“We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from our community, and the quick response by the Colorado Springs Police Department to quickly locate Geovani safe and sound. At this time, our family is fully cooperating and working closely with law enforcement to locate the suspect in this case. In the meantime, our sole focus is the health and well-being of our little boy. We are deeply grateful for all the support, concern, and well wishes that have been expressed.
While we understand the public curiosity and media requests around this incident, we respectfully ask for privacy during this difficult and emotional time. Continued media attention is only making this process more stressful and adding further strain on our family as we focus on healing.
As law enforcement conducts the investigation, they will share any updates, if and when appropriate, through official channels. We will not be speaking with the media.
Thank you for your understanding, compassion, and respect."
The incident happened around 3:00 p.m. Tuesday at the King Street Apartments, which are located near the intersection of North 30th Street and Uintah Street.
According to CSPD, they found the SUV around 5:00 p.m. Tuesday. They say Salazar-President was found safe in the backseat. CSPD says they are still piecing together suspect information.
If you have any information regarding a potential suspect, you are asked to call CSPD at (719)444-7000. If you want to remain anonymous, you can call Pikes Peak Crime Stoppers at (719)634-7867.
Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez held a press conference on Wednesday to show the community how technology helped bring Salazar-President back to safety.
He and District Attorney Michael Allen are raising concerns that this type of police work could be limited by proposed legislation at the Colorado State Capitol. You can watch the press conference in its entirety below:
If two bills regarding these concerns are passed, there could be restrictions on high technology police work, which include sharing pictures like the one of the stolen SUV, between agencies.
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