Man held for allegedly stealing S.F. car with baby inside

Solomon Alemu Solomon Alemu Photo: San Francisco Police Department Photo: San Francisco Police Department Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Man held for allegedly stealing S.F. car with baby inside 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

San Francisco police arrested a man they believe stole a car with a 4-month-old girl inside, before reuniting the baby with her family, officials said.

At 10:41 a.m. Wednesday, the victim flagged down police officers on the 100 block of Golden Gate Avenue, explaining that his car, which had his baby daughter inside, was stolen, said Officer Albie Esparza, a police spokesman.

The victim had pulled over to survey his car after someone kicked it, Esparza said, and was stunned when a crook jumped into the vehicle and took off.

Ten minutes later, police spotted the car on the 500 block of Seventh Street — right in front of the public defender’s office — and arrested city resident Solomon Alemu, 33, on suspicion of auto theft, kidnapping and child endangerment.

The child was unharmed.

Hamed Aleaziz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: haleaziz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @haleaziz