A frightening abduction in Mira Mesa lasted only minutes after a sharp-eyed witness grabbed part of a license plate and called 911, helping San Diego police track down a suspect in rush-hour traffic, authorities said.
Officers arrested a man on suspicion of kidnapping and assault last Friday evening after a brief pursuit on Interstate 15. Police said the victim made it to safety by jumping into an officer's patrol car once the driver finally pulled over near Adams Avenue. The man behind the wheel was taken into custody and later booked on multiple felony counts.
According to NBC 7 San Diego, the 911 call came in at about 5:10 PM after a witness saw a woman run from a car, then be picked up, put back into the vehicle by a man, and driven away. The caller supplied a suspect description, a license plate number and a vehicle description.
Police checked the department's automated license plate recognition system and found that the vehicle had recently been spotted near the 9300 block of Kearny Villa Road. An officer soon saw it heading south on Interstate 15 just past Aero Drive, which set off the short chase that ended with the woman safely in a squad car and the suspect in handcuffs.
How the plate-reader lead worked
San Diego's automated license plate recognition system sends officers real-time alerts when a “hot-listed” tag pings one of the city's cameras. Police officials say those alerts can be crucial when minutes matter, especially in violent crime cases.
SDPD's 2025 Annual Surveillance Report lays out the rules, auditing requirements and use policies that govern how the technology is deployed under the city's TRUST ordinance, which is meant to keep an eye on surveillance tools while still letting officers use them in emergencies.
Privacy concerns and past errors
For all their crime-fighting potential, ALPR systems are not flawless. As Times of San Diego reported, a Flock ALPR hit in 2025 later turned out to conflict with other location data, a mismatch that led to legal claims and fresh scrutiny of contracts with the vendor.
Community advocates and defense lawyers argue that a bad hit can spin an innocent person into a serious criminal investigation. Police officials, on the other hand, point to cases like Friday's alleged kidnapping as examples of how quickly the systems can help officers zero in on vehicles tied to violent crimes.
Charges and next steps
San Diego police said the suspect was booked into San Diego County Jail on charges that include kidnapping, false imprisonment, residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, evading a peace officer and driving under the influence. The department has not released his name.
The case will move forward through the county jail system and the district attorney's office as investigators continue follow-up work, SDPD told NBC 7 San Diego.
