Police Seek Man in Kidnapping, Beating

Police are searching for a man who they say kidnapped his ex-girlfriend two weeks ago and beat her almost continuously before she escaped late Sunday.

The victim, a 27-year-old Santa Paula resident, fled from the man’s apartment in the 2700 block of Jill Place about 10:15 p.m. Sunday and was treated at an Oxnard hospital for a broken nose and bruises from “head to toe,” said Sgt. Ken Dobbe.

Police said Humberto Duran, 25, kidnapped the woman Sept. 24 from her Santa Paula home, along with the couple’s children, a 10-month-old boy and a 4-year-old girl.

“He never left the apartment. She was kept in his bedroom the entire time, and he even accompanied her to the bathroom,” Dobbe said.

Duran choked and pistol-whipped the woman and used his fists and a wooden dowel to beat her, Dobbe said. There is no warrant for Duran’s arrest, Dobbe said.

During the time, the children were cared for by Duran’s mother and sister, who live at the apartment. Dobbe said it was unclear why the women didn’t call police despite being aware of the alleged beatings.

According to authorities, Duran was angry because the victim had called police Aug. 5 to report another incident of domestic violence. He spent two days in jail before his mother posted a $20,000 bond, Dobbe said.

“He was extremely angry about this whole matter,” the sergeant said.

The victim, who has since moved into a domestic-violence shelter, didn’t flee the apartment sooner because Duran reportedly had a gun and had threatened to kill her, her mother in Santa Paula and the kids, Dobbe said.

She ran out the front door Sunday night when Duran went into another room, police said. The Oxnard police SWAT team surrounded the home, but Duran fled in his mother’s car, an old white Ford Thunderbird.

Duran is Latino, 5 feet 7, 150 pounds and has a shaved head and brown eyes. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call Ventura County Crime Stoppers at 385-TALK. There is a cash reward for information that leads to a conviction.