Woman Faces Felony Charges For Carjacking With Toddler Inside

A judge in Indio has ruled that a Florida woman must stand trial on several felony charges stemming from the theft of a vehicle in Palm Springs with a 2 1/2-year-old child inside.

Urshla Robinson, 22, faces charges of kidnapping, carjacking and willful child cruelty.

The carjacking and kidnapping was reported about 10 p.m. September 5 at the Extended Stay America at 1400 E. Tahquitz Canyon.

A woman began yelling that someone had stolen her vehicle with her child inside, Palm Springs police Sgt. Frank Browning said.

The mother told police that a woman had jumped into her vehicle, pushed her out and drove away with her child buckled in the rear passenger seat, he said.

Following an intense search by law enforcement, the stolen vehicle was found 19 minutes later parked behind a Starbucks at Tahquitz Canyon Way and Palm Canyon Drive, and the child was still in the rear car seat, the sergeant said.

Robinson, who had run off, was caught by police nearby.

She was being held in lieu of $250,000 at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.