An Oxnard man was arrested June 19 for allegedly assaulting and kidnapping a teenage girl he was loosely acquainted with.
The arrest stems from a Jan. 15 disturbance call around 8:25 p.m. at the Marshall’s department store on Ventura Boulevard, according to an Oxnard Police Department news release.
Investigators found that a 36-year-old man allegedly assaulted one person with a belt and attempted to hit another person with his SUV, police said.
Police gathered witness statements, surveillance footage and a cell phone video shot by an independent witness, according to the police department.
The cell phone video showed the man grabbing the 17-year-old girl, forcibly throwing her into the rear cargo compartment of his SUV, closing it and driving away, police said.
The teen later said she tried to escape but was unable to, officials said. She was only able to escape after the man was involved in a traffic collision near Auto Center Drive and Rose Avenue and abandoned the vehicle with her inside.
Detectives later learned that the teen and the man knew each other through mutual friends and were with a group of friends at a nearby store before the assault.
Investigators found probable cause to arrest the man and found him in the Ventura County jail for unrelated charges. He was rearrested on suspicion of felonies for kidnapping, child endangerment and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, police officials said.
He remains in jail with bail set at $115,000, jail records show. He is scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on June 23.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard man arrested for alleged kidnapping of teen, assault
Reporting by Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Ventura County Star | USA TODAY Network
