Young siblings stopped while driving mother’s car on freeway hundreds of miles away from home

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — An 11-year-old girl and her 10-year-old brother who were reportedly running away from their house in North Port, Florida to California in their mother’s car, were stopped on a highway about 200 miles away from home.

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The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said deputies saw a sedan on Interstate 75 by Gainesville around 4 a.m. Thursday.

The mother of the children had reportedly her car stolen as well as her children missing at around midnight.

When the deputies approached the sedan, they drew their weapons and ordered the people inside the car to come out. The sheriff’s office said since the vehicle was reported stolen, a high risk traffic stop was conducted.

According to The Associated Press, the deputies thought they were dealing with thieves but two children came out of the car.

“Much to their surprise, deputies observed a 10-year-old male driver exit the vehicle along with his 11-year-old sister,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Facebook.

Both of the children told investigators that the girl was mad that their mother took away their electronic devices after they had misbehaved, the AP reported. The two then decided to drive to California from Florida.

Investigators determined that the children were not mistreated by their mother or any other person in their house. The children were released into their mother’s care and she did not press any charges, the AP reported.

The names of the mother and both of the children have not been released.