One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Northridge Kidnapping: Alleged Abductors Both Charged, But Prime Suspect Still At Large
Tobias Dustin Summers (Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Police Department via NBC Los Angeles)
The two men accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 10-year-old Northridge girl last week have been charged with multiple crimes today, however the prime suspect in the case remains at large.
One suspect, 29-year-old Daniel Martinez of West Hills, was apprehended on Sunday, and is due to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon on one felony count each of kidnapping a minor under 14 and first-degree burglary with a person present, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Bail for Martinez is expected to be set at $150,000.
If convicted, Martinez is facing up to 12 years in state prison.
However, Martinez is considered the less culpable perpetrator in the case, which involved the middle-of-the-night abduction of a young girl from her own home. That girl was found about 12 hours later after she was dropped off at a strip mall approximately six miles from her home. She had been taken to multiple locations and was allegedly sexually assaulted. During the ordeal she also suffered minor cuts and bruises, and was deposited barefoot outside a Starbucks.
The prime suspect is Tobias Dustin Summers, who is thought to be the one who took the girl from her home and brought her to a car where Martinez was waiting, according to the LADA.
Summers is charged in the same complaint with kidnapping a minor under 14, first-degree burglary with a person present and nearly three dozen counts of sexual assault. If convicted, he’s facing multiple life terms in prison.
Authorities believe Summers has headed to the San Diego area and has likely altered his appearance by shaving his head.
Sponsored message
Previously
Police Arrest Man In Kidnapping of Northridge Girl, But He's Not the Prime Suspect
Photo: Police Name Suspect Accused Of Kidnapping 10-Year-Old Northridge Girl
Police Probe Connection Between Northridge Abduction and 2008 Kidnappings
10-Year-Old Northridge Girl Abducted From Home, Held Captive Nearly 12 Hours
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
