A 42-year-old Anaheim man is behind bars after what police describe as a violent pre-dawn confrontation that started in a parked car, turned into a rolling attack, and ended with a kidnapping that briefly shut down lanes of the 57 Freeway. Fullerton police say the ordeal began around 4:09 a.m. Sunday, when a woman called 911 to report that a "male known to her" was attacking her and another person. Dispatchers reportedly heard a struggle before the line went dead. Detectives later tracked the suspect to Newport Beach, where he was arrested on Monday.
According to a Fullerton Police Department news release, officers were sent to S. Acacia Avenue and Dawns Way and arrived within two minutes. They spotted a car leaving the area and stopped it. The driver, identified as the male victim, told officers the suspect had first confronted them while they were parked in Anaheim, hitting their vehicle and then intentionally ramming it as they drove northbound toward the Fullerton station. Investigators say the suspect vandalized the car, assaulted the male victim, demanded his wallet and threatened to get a firearm. The male victim armed himself with a hammer, and police allege the suspect swung a metal sign before grabbing the woman's phone and forcing her into his own vehicle.
How the search unfolded
Roughly an hour after the woman was taken, a Fullerton officer spotted the suspect's vehicle on the shoulder of the northbound 57 Freeway near Ball Road in Anaheim. The man bolted on foot across all lanes of traffic, triggering a perimeter search and a temporary shutdown of part of the freeway, according to CBS Los Angeles. Detectives kept working the case and later that day located 42-year-old Charles Hernandez in Newport Beach, where he was taken into custody.
Charges and next steps
The Fullerton Police Department says Hernandez was booked at the Fullerton City Jail on suspicion of kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, felony vandalism and domestic violence. The investigation is still underway as the Orange County District Attorney's office reviews the case for potential charges.
Authorities have not said whether the victims needed medical treatment or provided any additional details about the relationship between Hernandez and the woman, CBS Los Angeles reported. Anyone with information is asked to contact Fullerton PD Crimes Persons Detective N. Valdes at 714-738-6754 or Orange County Crime Stoppers.
