Thief steals SUV from Minneapolis parking lot, containing custom wheelchair for boy with cerebral palsy

By David Schuman

August 3, 2023 / 9:59 PM / CBS Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS – Both a mother and her son with disabilities are struggling after a stunning steal.

While Tamika Williams was shopping at Cub Foods in south Minneapolis last weekend, a thief broke the back window of her Hyundai in the parking lot, crawled through and took off with the car 45 seconds later.

Inside the SUV was the custom-equipped wheelchair that allows Williams' son to live his life.

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Samajae Adail has cerebral palsy and can't move or speak.

"With that chair being missing all week, we're sitting in the house not being able to even enjoy any outside time," Williams said. "I call [Samajae] my Superman, so that was our super mobile."

Adail is having spine surgery next week and needs his chair to get to and from appointments. Williams feels desperate.

"I even thought about going to Walmart and buying one of those big old wagons and supporting it with pillows just to get out this house," she said. "So I don't know. It's frustrating."

One good thing in all this is that Williams' car was found mostly undamaged in north Minneapolis. But the chair was gone.

"It was more, 'Let me dump it to joyride,' than anything," Williams said. "That's what bothered me."

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The chair's distinct, with Superman and Jordan logos, giving Williams a sliver of hope it might find its way back to their family.

"You can put it on the side of the road. Let us come find it," she said. "You don't have to say who you are or nothing, just give me back that chair."

Williams found a possible wheelchair donation in St. Cloud that she hopes to pick up this weekend. There's also an online fundraiser to help her.

No arrests have been made.

David joined the WCCO team in April 2020, previously working at CBS 58 in Milwaukee. Prior to that, he worked in Las Vegas. While there, David covered several stories in the national spotlight, including the October 1 mass shooting and political visits from President Barack Obama and candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

First published on August 3, 2023 / 9:59 PM

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