Man abandons child after allegedly breaking into car in Highland Park

A Highland Park man said a person broke into his car and abandoned a toddler last weekend.

The car owner said he called the police after noticing a stranger sitting inside his vehicle and a dog roaming near the 300 block of  N. Avenue 52 at around 10 a.m. on Sunday. When he confronted the stranger in the car, he noticed an approximately 2-year-old boy sitting in a car seat. 

The man told the car owner that the two were running away from the dog, which was trying to attack them. The stranger ran away and left the child behind before the Los Angeles Police Department arrived. 

The officers said they are skeptical of the stranger's story because the dog appeared familiar with the child, staying close to him during the ordeal. 

LAPD placed the child in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services and turned the dog over to LA County Animal Services. 

DCFS and LAPD asked for help identifying the child. 

"Efforts to identify the child through all available means have been unsuccessful, and no custodial parent or family member has contacted the police to locate the child," authorities said. 

Police described the child as having a medium complexion with curly brown hair. He was wearing a gray quarter-zip sweater. 

Anyone who knows the boy or who has additional information was asked to contact LAPD investigators at (323) 561-3211 or the DCFS Hotline at (800) 540-4000.