OKLAHOMA CITY – Relatives of a young boy who was left in a Wal-Mart store by a suspected shoplifter came forward and identified the child on Wednesday, police said.
The relatives, three women, told The Oklahoman that the child's name is Bryan Allen, 3. They also said the man who abandoned the boy is not his father.
The boy has been in Department of Human Services custody since Friday, Master Police Sgt. Gary Knight said in a news release.
About 1:20 p.m. Friday, security personnel at the west Oklahoma City store approached a man they suspected of shoplifting, the release says. When they confronted the man, he ran, leaving the boy behind in a shopping cart.
A pediatrician examined the child and said he appeared to have no medical problems, DHS spokeswoman Mary Leaver said.
"He looks like he's doing very well despite what happened to him," Leaver said. "We're really hoping that someone is able to recognize him and give us the information we need to get him back to his family."
The suspected shoplifter is described as a bald black man in his late 20s or early 30s who stands about 6 feet tall and weighs 180 pounds. He was wearing a blue shirt, dark blue jeans, white shoes and a large necklace or chain.
Wal-Mart security video shows the man pushing the boy through the store in a shopping cart and entering the lawn and garden section, where he exited the store and was accosted by security personnel.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox