Officers said they were called just before 1 p.m. after a good Samaritan stopped to help a 2-year-old boy who was wandering around the mall's parking lot.
According to police, the boy had gotten out of a car after being left alone with another toddler while two women went inside the mall to shoplift.
"You are going and taking one bad thing, shoplifting, and you are compounding it with leaving your children," shopper Andy Poulton told WSOC-TV.
The Bible says, ‘Thou shall not steal,’ and they shouldn't do nothing like that,” shopper Donald Hough said. “That's a crime.”
The boy had minor injuries but is expected to be all right, WSOC reported.
Police said one of the women grabbed the boy before getting into a mint green Chrysler with a paper tag in the back window.
Officials identified the women as 27-year-old Resa Washington and 27-year-old Tiyana Edmonds.
Washington is wanted for misdemeanor child neglect, misdemeanor larceny, resisting a public officer and driving while a license is revoked.
Edmonds is wanted for misdemeanor child neglect, misdemeanor larceny and resisting a public officer.
Authorities said the pair was detained together and issued citations for unlawful concealment in 2015.
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