Suspect arrested in Berkeley kidnapping of ex-girlfriend, her three small children
BERKELEY — A man suspected of abducting his ex-girlfriend and her three small children Thursday afternoon was arrested a few hours later in San Leandro, where the victims had been safely found, authorities said.
The suspect’s name was not released.
Police said that about 1:07 p.m. Thursday, officers were called to the 1800 block of Sixth Street for a family disturbance. A woman told police her 21-year-old daughter was being physically forced into a vehicle by the daughter’s ex-boyfriend. Her children, ages 1 and 3, were apparently already inside the vehicle.
Officers spotted the vehicle driving away minutes later and pursued it until they lost sight of it in Oakland. Just before 3 p.m. police tracked the suspect — they have not yet said how — to the area of MacArthur and Broadmoor boulevards in San Leandro.
When officers spotted the suspect along with the woman and her children outside the vehicle, the suspect dropped one of the children and ran off. The woman and children were not injured.
With the assistance of the California Highway Patrol and San Leandro police, officers set a perimeter around the area and searched for the suspect. At 3:46 p.m. officers located the suspect trying to hide in the 900 block of Victoria Avenue and arrested him.
He was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, domestic violence, evading police and other charges.
Check back for updates on this developing story.