Although happening earlier this year in St. George, Utah, police officials are now releasing bodycam footage of a daring rescue of an innocent baby who was kidnapped and held hostage in the Arizona desert. According to officials, a baby was unexpectedly kidnapped by 30-year-old Oscar Alcantara when they attempted to confront him over an incident where he brandished a gun. Locating him at a nearby church, Alcantara was sitting in a vehicle with the child when a woman ran to the police, telling them he had her baby. The situation would only grow more intense as the suspect jumped in the driver’s seat and sped off. 

The entire incident was not released as there was several hours’ worth of footage. Still, in the video below, officers are shown clearing the area as they tried to communicate with Alcantara, telling him numerous times to put the child down and that they didn’t want to hurt him. Still, after several attempts to end the situation peacefully, Alcantara darted into the bushes near Highway 91 and Biasi Road while still holding a gun to the child. 

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Unknown to the suspect, while police were speaking with him, snipers were already moving into position as Alcantara used the bushes to shield himself from the officers. At one point, the police yelled, “The gun is pointed right at us! Gun pointed at us!”  

After an hour of trying to resolve the hostage situation, a sniper killed Alcantara while he was still holding the baby. Officers on the scene quickly approached the motionless Alcantara, hoping the baby was unharmed. Thanks to the talented sniper, the baby was uninjured as an officer said, “I got child, I got child, come here, baby.”  

Rushed away to safety and eventually returned to its mother, the baby is expected to be fine. As for the shooting, it remains under investigation as the police department is still speaking with both officers and witnesses at the scene, as well as watching hours of bodycam footage. A reporter stated, “Now because the shooting happened on the Arizona side of the border, it’s currently under review by the Mojave County Attorney’s Office. I spoke with them today. They say they’re still going through those hundreds of hours of video, as well as dozens of officers and witnesses who are involved in this. As for the baby, that child was safe, unharmed, and returned to its mother.”

Comments online praised the officers for their efforts, writing, “Good riddance to him. The cops made him an offer he couldn’t refuse but did, and now the baby is safe. Thank you, Utah police, for doing right.”

This piece was written by Zach Heilman on June 13, 2022. It originally appeared in RedVoiceMedia.com and is used by permission.

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