3-Year-Old Amber Alert Child Found Safe

Los Angeles police said 3-year-old Messiah Evans was found safe in Gardena on Tuesday morning after an Amber Alert search stretched across several Southern California counties. The alert had been issued on behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department after investigators said the boy was taken late Monday night in South Los Angeles. Police identified the suspect as 38-year-old Joshua Pendleton, the ex-boyfriend of the child’s mother. LAPD told NBC4 that the child was found safe and uninjured and was being reunited with family. ### Where was the child found? Gardena police told the California Highway Patrol on April 14 that the child and the suspect were located in the 1000 block of West El Segundo Boulevard in Gardena, according to Fox 11. NBC Los Angeles reported that Los Angeles police said they were found at a hotel in Gardena, though authorities did not immediately say what led officers there. (nbclosangeles.com) The LAPD said the boy was “found safe and uninjured and is being reunited with family,” NBC Los Angeles reported. Authorities did not release additional information Tuesday about the child’s condition beyond that statement. ### Who do police say took him? Joshua Pendleton, 38, was identified by police as the child’s mother’s ex-boyfriend and not the boy’s biological father, according to Fox 11 and NBC Los Angeles. (foxla.com) Police said Pendleton abducted the child after a confrontation with the mother. Fox 11 reported that investigators said Pendleton fled in the mother’s white 2006 Saturn VUE after a physical altercation. (nbclosangeles.com) The child was still inside the vehicle when he drove away, according to that report. ### When did the abduction happen? The California Highway Patrol said the child and Pendleton were last seen at about 10 p.m. Monday near 66th Street and Normandie Avenue in Los Angeles. (foxla.com) Fox 11 gave the time as about 10:20 p.m. Monday near the same intersection in South Los Angeles. The Amber Alert was then issued by the CHP on behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department. (foxla.com) NBC Los Angeles reported that the alert covered Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, while Fox 11 said the search spanned five Southern California counties. ### Why was the alert sent so broadly? The California Highway Patrol says it acts as the state coordinator for missing person alerts and activates them on behalf of investigating agencies in California municipalities, counties and tribal communities. (nbclosangeles.com) The agency says regional activations are used so alerts reach areas directly related to an incident rather than always going out statewide. The CHP also says community responses to alerts have helped safely recover victims in documented cases. In this case, the agency issued the Amber Alert after reviewing the details with the Los Angeles Police Department, which was the investigating agency. ### What have authorities said about the next step? The LAPD told NBC Los Angeles on Tuesday that Pendleton was being interviewed after he was found with the child. (chp.ca.gov) Authorities had not publicly detailed possible charges in the initial recovery reports. The California Highway Patrol deactivated the Amber Alert after the recovery. Los Angeles police said the immediate next step was reuniting Messiah Evans with his family while the investigation continued. (chp.ca.gov) (nbclosangeles.com)