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Kidnapping Suspect Escapes Police After Chase And 3-Hour Standoff
After an hours-long pursuit and standoff last night, a man who allegedly kidnapped a woman and two children somehow evaded police capture.
The pursuit began at about 4:30 p.m. in Buena Park after the man had allegedly kidnapped his girlfriend and their two children, ages 1 and 5, and drove off with them in a gray Hummer H3, the L.A. Times reports.
Huntington Park police had responded to reports of domestic violence, only to find no one was at the address when they arrived, according to the OC Register. They later received a report that the parties involved in the domestic call were all in one vehicle, and alerted Buena Park police to be on the lookout for a dark-colored Hummer.
Buena Park officers attempted to stop the Hummer, but the man continued to drive, getting on the southbound 5 freeway and taking it through Anaheim and Santa Ana. The Hummer cruised by traffic via the right shoulder near the "Orange Crush" (the 5, 22, 27 freeways) interchange, and CHP got involved in the chase.
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The pursuit continued onto southbound Route 55, and then the Hummer's driver got on the southbound 405 and drove to Irvine, where he exited on Jamboree Road and drove to Newport Beach. Choppers overhead had a difficult time following the chase due to fog. Oddly enough, the driver of the Hummer obeyed traffic lights in Newport Beach, despite being pursued by authorities.
The driver finally pulled over at about 6:15 p.m. near PCH and Jamboree Road, then turned right on Dover Drive. According to CHP Officer Florentino Olivera, the driver stopped because the car battery had died. He was seen talking on the phone at times, and occasionally got out of the car holding the younger child. The 5-year-old was seen peering out of the car's sunroof. Huntington Park Police Lt. Al Martinez the Times that they were trying to convince the man to release the woman and children.
Around 10 p.m., the man made a run for it up hill near Castaways Park, while the woman and children ran towards officers. The fog made it hard to see and the officers' K-9 could not immediately be released due to the presence of the woman and children. The man ultimately got away. The woman and children were uninjured.
Though his name has not been released, the man has been described as a 35-year-old Latino man with tattoos on his neck. He was last seen wearing jeans, a black hoodie and gray shoes. Anyone who sees him should call 9-1-1.
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