Baby Injured in Couple’s Erratic Flight From Law

A young couple attempting to flee to Las Vegas to evade California authorities stole three cars and kidnaped a man before their Saturday crime spree ended in a collision that seriously injured a baby, authorities said.

Three-month-old Alissa Gothro was airlifted to Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles after the 8:30 a.m. crash at the Studio City intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Fulton Avenue. The baby was in fair condition Saturday evening.

Her mother, Kathleen Gothro, 18, of Paso Robles was taken to UCLA Medical Center for treatment of a broken leg, Los Angeles Police Detective Robert Johansen said. The mother and daughter were riding with Milan Belko, 18, of Ventura, who was not injured.

Belko was arrested on suspicion of kidnaping a Paso Robles store clerk and of stealing three cars, Johansen said. Gothro was not immediately arrested.

According to Johansen, who garnered information of the couple’s flight from several police agencies, the journey began early Friday.

Belko was informed in Ventura County Municipal Court that he would be jailed for an outstanding warrant. The warrant was related to an alleged juvenile offense, but Johansen did not have details Saturday.

Belko decided that he would rather flee the state than serve time and Gothro agreed to go with him, the detective said. The couple hitchhiked from Ventura to Paso Robles and packed their possessions, bringing the woman’s baby along.

Johansen said that shortly after midnight, Belko stole the first car, a Chevy Cavalier, from Jose Soto, 46, a convenience store clerk who was closing up the shop. Belko was armed with a BB gun resembling a sawed-off shotgun, he said.

Fearful that Soto would report his car stolen, the couple forced him into the trunk, police said. They loaded all their suitcases, duffel bags and baby supplies and drove to Westlake Village, about 150 miles away.

In Westlake Village, Johansen said, the couple pulled into a K mart parking lot to sleep, awaking at about 7:30 a.m. to the sound of Soto pounding from inside the trunk and yelling for help.

Belko opened the trunk to silence Soto, but the market clerk sprang from the car and fled after a brief scuffle, Johansen said. Soto was not seriously injured and was not hospitalized.

Belko and Gothro fled. But the wheel fell off the car after Gothro, who was driving, hit the curb and a parked van. The couple flagged down motorist Carl Hammond, 42, of Westlake Village, who stopped to help. Hammond’s Toyota was stolen at gunpoint, Johansen said. Before they drove off, the couple transferred their luggage into the Toyota.

At about 8:15 a.m. the car ran out of gas at a red light at the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Rubio Avenue in Encino. Belko, armed with his BB gun, robbed the man stuck at the intersection behind him and stole his white Camaro, police said.

Many passersby watched as Gothro again moved their possessions into the vehicle. They then sped east on Ventura Boulevard, with several motorists in pursuit.

In Studio City, one of the pursuers alerted a police officer, who chased them in his patrol car for about two minutes. The couple’s flight came to an abrupt end when Gothro broadsided a station wagon. The driver, Anne Uhlmann, 63, of Sherman Oaks, was taken to UCLA with broken ribs, a ruptured spleen and a fractured neck.