Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Police have issued an Amber Alert for Juan Sebastian Mejia Acevedo, a missing 12-year-old boy who officials say was abducted on Friday from Virginia Beach.Newsweek contacted the Virginia Beach City Police Department for comment on Saturday via email outside regular office hours.The ContextIn a joint statement, the Virginia State Police and the Virginia Missing Children Clearinghouse said they believed Acevedo had been “abducted by an unknown person” and was in “extreme danger.”What To KnowAccording to the Amber Alert, which the Virginia State Police issued early on Saturday, Acevedo is a 12-year-old Hispanic male with black hair and brown eyes. He is 5 feet and 8 inches tall and weighs 105 pounds.He is believed to have been abducted around 9 a.m. on Friday and was last seen in the 200 block of Mica Avenue, Virginia Beach, wearing blue pants, a red hoodie and black shoes. He has “no scars, marks, or tattoos.”Anyone with information about Acevedo’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Virginia Beach City Police Department at 757-385-5000. If anyone sees Acevedo in person, they should call 911 immediately.
Juan Sebastian Mejia Acevedo, who police in Virginia believe was kidnapped on Friday.
Juan Sebastian Mejia Acevedo, who police in Virginia believe was kidnapped on Friday.
Virginia State Police
AMBER is an acronym for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, and the alert system is used across all 50 states after first being deployed in 1996. The alerts are broadcast by local authorities via cell towers to any wireless emergency alert-enabled mobile devices within a certain area.An Amber Alert can be issued when law enforcement “has a reasonable belief that the missing child has been abducted” and “believes that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.”In November, Colorado issued an Amber Alert for 7-year-old Uriah Saye Jr. after he was allegedly kidnapped by a woman accused of shooting his father. Police later rescued the boy and arrested the woman in question.A statewide Amber Alert was issued in Ohio for 7-year-old Oaklynn Alexander after her father, Charles Alexander, was accused of kidnapping her. Police later shot and killed the 43-year-old man, who was reportedly armed.In December, the alert was used elsewhere in Virginia, where a mother was charged with kidnapping her children and taking them across state lines. Police arrested Shanice Chante Davison in Alabama after a “brief pursuit” and recovered all three children “safe and unharmed.”What Happens NextThe Virginia State Police and the Virginia Missing Children Clearinghouse issued the Amber Alert on behalf of the Virginia Beach City Police Department following Acevedo’s suspected abduction, and the authorities will continue their search and investigation with assistance from other agencies.
