Suspect arrested in kidnapping of woman at gunpoint in East Los Angeles

Los Angeles police have arrested a 24-year-old man suspected of kidnapping a woman at gunpoint Monday night on an East Los Angeles bus, authorities said.

The woman had just boarded a Montebello Transit bus around 8:30 p.m. in the 3800 block of East 3rd Street when a man confronted her from behind, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Video surveillance shows the driver of the bus and another passenger “attempted to intervene” during the confrontation, but the man left the bus and retrieved a handgun from a nearby car, the Sheriff’s Department said. He pointed the weapon at the bus driver and forced the woman into a white car, possibly a 2022 Honda Civic, before driving away toward the 60 Freeway.

The suspect, whom authorities have identified as Angel Flores, was later arrested by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Authorities said officers found a replica firearm inside Flores’ vehicle that resembled the handgun used in the kidnapping.

Sheriff’s detectives also later found the woman and learned she was not injured during the incident. Authorities added that she “was in a dating relationship” with the suspect.

Flores was booked on suspicion of kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon and vandalism, according to the sheriff’s department. He remained in custody Tuesday evening in lieu of $5,000 bail, records show.

California

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Anyone with information about the incident can call the Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Bureau at (562) 946-7893 or the East L.A. station at (323) 264-4151. Anonymous tips can also be made by calling Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.