Two arrested following chase with children in their car

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- At just two and four years old, the brothers were too young to understand what was going on -- why were police cars surrounding them, and why their parents were under arrest. Another sibling, just weeks old, cried in a car seat.

The scene unfolded in the parking lot of a flea market along the Eastex Freeway. Houston police say around 2pm Friday, the children's parents were breaking into Juana Bastidas' car in the parking lot.

"Somebody picked up boxes (in my car)," she said.

Bastidas says the couple stole about $500 worth of kitchenware. When police tried to pull them over, they took off. The couple led officers on a brief chase along the Eastex Freeway. Along the way, they scraped Christina Guaro's car. She was driving home from work.

"I don't understand why he thought it was necessary to run with children in the car," said Guaro. "As a matter of fact, why are you even running, if you don't think you did anything wrong?"

After the chase ended, police called the suspect's aunt and uncle to retrieve the three children.

"They didn't have to do it," said Charles Johnson, the uncle of the children's mother. "I mean people do everything every day, but still."

The parents are on their way to jail. They are facing evading arrest and burglary of a motor vehicle charges.