Security camera video shows Gilbourne Cusi, the 38-year-old father, trying to stop the thief from leaving.
“The first instinct is that my child is inside, so I tried to save him,” Cusi told CBC News.
It happened in the area of Chinguacousy Road and Queen Street West after 12 noon on Sunday, according to the Peel District Police.
“Make sure your doors are locked, your house, your car, anything to protect yourself, your family and your property,” Const said. Sarah Patten, a Peel police spokeswoman, said Tuesday.
“Putting yourself in danger may not be the best course of action,” he added.
“Do not leave the vehicle running unattended. Do not leave your children unattended in the vehicle. We understand that this was a very shocking situation he had to deal with, but we hope we can prevent this from happening again.”
In this screenshot from a security camera video, a father in a blue jacket holding his daughter is about to start chasing a man who tried to steal his white SUV in Brampton on Sunday. The father’s son was in the back seat. The man is wearing a black hood. (Submitted by Gilbourne Cusi)
Cusi said the incident has shaken his family, but no one was injured.
The video shows Cusi placing his 10-month-old son in the SUV. Then he returns to pick up his two-year-old daughter who is waiting on the front step.
At the same time, a dark car stops in front of this house. A person shows up and runs to the side of the driver of the Cusi SUV.
“I was wondering, what is he doing in my car?”
He starts to come in and that’s when Kushi returns, with his daughter in his arms. “I was wondering, what is he doing in my car?” he said. Cusi immediately opens the passenger door and starts shouting at the person trying to steal the car. “I tried to stop him and ask him what he was doing. I thought he was just a little kid looking for a change,” he said. “He did not say a word.” The thief tries to get out of the way in the back with Kushi and his little daughter hanging out of the passenger door. Eventually, he gets out of Cusi’s car running back to the dark car. Cusi said he memorized the license plate before the car left, but it turned out to be stolen. He added that he was disappointed that the police did not send police officers by vehicle to receive the report. Patten added: “The suspect is not known at the moment. We are investigating.”
