An elderly woman offering a ride to a stranger and her infant ended with the woman being pulled from her own car at an Independence park, and police chasing the stolen vehicle — baby still inside — with a helicopter overhead. Two people now face charges in the case: Delron Pickens and Aurianua Randolph.
According to court documents cited by The Kansas City Star, the encounter began when Randolph approached the victim at a Family Dollar store in Independence while carrying an infant. Randolph asked if she could get a ride to a gas station, and the victim agreed, letting the woman and her baby into her car, the same court documents state.
From there, the situation escalated. Per the detective's account relayed by the Star, Pickens then asked for a ride to Fairmount Park, telling the victim a friend could pick him up there, and the victim drove the group to the park as requested.
A Carjacking Unfolds at Fairmount Park
Once at Fairmount Park, Pickens got out of the victim's vehicle, according to the court documents. He walked around to the driver's side and allegedly pulled the driver from her own vehicle, the newspaper reported. Pickens then drove off in the victim's car — with Randolph and the baby still inside, per the detective's court filing.
Police broadcast a description of the stolen vehicle to local law enforcement, and Kansas City police soon located it. When officers attempted to stop the car, police said Pickens refused to pull over and instead led law enforcement on a chase that involved a police helicopter.
Chase Ends at Apartment Complex, Infant Found Safe
Police followed the vehicle to an apartment complex in Independence, where Pickens and Randolph were eventually taken into custody. The infant who had been inside the car throughout the ordeal was found and was uninjured, police said.
Jackson County Circuit Court records show Pickens, of Independence, was charged with one count of vehicle hijacking and one count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Randolph, of Kansas City, Kansas, was charged with one count of second-degree robbery and one count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Court records do not yet list attorneys for either defendant, the Star reported.
What the Charges Could Mean
Under Missouri law effective August 28, 2026, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child is generally a class D felony, with specified circumstances raising its classification to class C, B or A, according to the Missouri Revisor of Statutes. The state's vehicle-hijacking statute separately addresses seizing, or attempting to seize, a vehicle in which a child or other specially protected victim is present, per the Missouri Revisor of Statutes.
The case echoes another incident at an Independence park reported by KCTV5 last November, when a carjacking led to the arrest of three people. The newest case remains in its early stages, with no word yet on pleas or bond for either Pickens or Randolph.
