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Woman Escapes Union City Kidnap; Suspect Arrested

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Feb 29, 2008 2:24 pm US/Pacific

Woman Escapes Union City Kidnap; Suspect Arrested

 CBS 5 CrimeWatch

UNION CITY (BCN) ― Police arrested a man Friday suspected of carjacking and kidnapping a woman at gunpoint Thursday night near the Union City Bay Area Rapid Transit station, according to the Union City Police Department.

Officers responded to the BART parking lot on Decoto Road near 11th Street shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday where a woman in her late 30s told police she had been standing at the rear of her sport utility vehicle when an unknown suspect armed with a handgun approached her, according to officials.

The suspect allegedly demanded the woman get inside her vehicle. The woman sat down in the passenger seat and the suspect entered the SUV as well, police said.

The suspect then drove the SUV northbound on Mission Boulevard toward Hayward, according to officials.

The woman jumped from the moving vehicle on Mission Boulevard near Tamarack Drive where she received help from a passerby and notified the Police Department, officials said.

The woman suffered moderate injuries to her head and feet and was reportedly transported to a local hospital, police said.

After releasing a description of the suspect and the victim's stolen SUV, police patrolling in the area of Iowa and Tulane streets at about 6 a.m. Friday saw a man driving the victim's vehicle.

The driver, later identified as 21-year-old Santiago Mendez, of Union City and Chula Vista, was stopped and taken into custody, according to police.

Police reported that Mendez matched the description of the suspect, and officers found a handgun in the vehicle similar to the gun described by the victim.

The victim's SUV was recovered with no apparent damage.

Mendez was arrested on charges of kidnapping and carjacking, and police said additional charges might be sought.

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