Twin Boys Fight Off Carjacker With Toy Snake

A thief who stole a car with three children in the back was forced to pull over when one of the youngsters began whipping him with a rubber snake.

The carjacker jumped into the vehicle outside Lucia Lozada's home in San Antonio, Texas, as the family prepared to go to church.

The children's distraught mother called police but just 10 minutes later, the seven-year-old twin boys and their one-year-old brother were safe after taking matters into their own hands.

Sergeant Javier Salazar of the San Antonio Police Department told ABC News : "One of the boys was punching the man in the face and the other was hitting him with a rubber snake."

Hermini Segovia, the children's grandmother, said the thief "just wanted the car" and let the boys keep their tablet computer.

"He even shook their hands before dropping them off," she added.

The boys were soon reunited with their parents after a girl who was playing outside a house in the street where their ordeal came to an end spoke to them and got them help.

Sgt Salazar added: "The parents were thanking us for getting their children back so quickly but we're crediting the twins who are as cute and as brave as can be."

A police spokesman said officers were searching for a white male in his 30s who has tattoos on both legs and is often seen in the Colglazier and Pecan Valley neighbourhoods on foot.