Global Courant 2023-05-24 07:27:17
Los Angeles Police Department has arrested a 24-year-old man suspected of kidnapping a woman at gunpoint on a bus in East Los Angeles Monday night, authorities said.
The woman had just boarded a Montebello Transit bus at the 3800 block of East 3rd Street around 8:30 p.m. when a man confronted her from behind, according to the The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Video surveillance shows the driver of the bus and another passenger “tried to intervene” during the confrontation, but the man exited the bus and retrieved a gun from a nearby car, the sheriff said. He pointed the gun at the bus driver and forced the woman into a white car, possibly a 2022 Honda Civic, before driving off toward Highway 60.
The suspect, identified by authorities as Angel Flores, was later arrested by Los Angeles Police Department officers on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Authorities said officers found a replica firearm in Flores’ vehicle that resembled the gun used in the kidnapping.
Sheriff’s detectives also later found the woman and found she was not injured in the incident. Authorities added that she was “in a relationship” with the suspect.
Flores was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon and vandalism, the sheriff said. He remained in custody Tuesday night in lieu of a $5,000 bail, records show.
Anyone with information about the incident can call the Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Bureau at (562) 946-7893 or the East LA station at (323) 264-4151. Anonymous tips can also be provided by calling Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
