Kidnapping call leads to high-speed pursuit, arrests in Palm Springs

A high-speed pursuit in Palm Springs on Monday led to the arrest of three suspects in connection with a reporting kidnapping, police said.

The incident started around 3:50 p.m. when police received reports of a kidnapping in the 5200 block of East Ramon Road, according to Lt. Gustavo Araiza of the Palm Springs Police Department. A witness told officers he saw a man assaulted in the parking lot of a Ross and forced into a white sedan.

About 30 minutes later, an officer spotted a car near 500 San Rafael Drive that matched the description of the sedan.

When the officer attempted to pull the car over, the driver fled, Araiza said. A short but intense high-speed chase followed until police lost sight of the vehicle in the area of East Chino Road and Gene Autry Trail.

Around 4:30 p.m., police received calls of three men running from the area. Officers set up a perimeter near the 1200 block of Montalvo Way and apprehended all three suspects, whom Araiza described as two men and one juvenile.

The suspects were taken into custody and charged with resisting arrest, he said. Their vehicle was seized as evidence.

One witness said she saw an occupant of the speeding vehicle holding a gun, but police did not find one.

Police are still searching for additional information about the kidnapping, including the location of the reported victim.

Araiza said the incident may have been a robbery or a drug deal gone bad, or it could have been gang-related, “and that’s why we’re not getting anybody coming forward.”

There is also a chance that the victim was kicked out of the car behind the store, he said.

“Everybody thinks that we just deal with, like, golf cart thefts [in Palm Springs],” Araiza said. “There’s quite a few things that can go on.”