An East Palo Alto man was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on
charges of kidnapping and domestic battery Tuesday night after he
refused to let his girlfriend out of his car.
Morgan Hill
An East Palo Alto man was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on charges of kidnapping and domestic battery Tuesday night after he refused to let his girlfriend out of his car.
Joaquin Flores, 19, drove for about two miles with the woman before stopping for gas at the Chevron station on Cochrane Road, according to police.
The incident began at approximately 10:51 p.m., when Flores allegedly showed up at his girlfriend’s apartment on Crest Avenue telling her he wanted to talk about their relationship and convinced her to get in his car. The couple had been dating for four months, according to Morgan Hill police Cmdr. David Swing.
Flores wanted to take his girlfriend to Palo Alto, but she declined as she couldn’t leave her young children in the apartment alone, police said. However, as soon as she got in the car, he started drove out of the parking lot, police said.
The girlfriend, 24, pleaded with Flores to stop, to drop her off, Swing said, but he refused, telling her he was taking her to Palo Alto. She was scared because she did not know what Flores’ intentions were, Swing added.
When he pulled into the Chevron station to get gas and got out of the car, the victim locked herself in. Flores then began kicking the windows of the car, which attracted the attention of a woman who was getting gas at a nearby pump. She called police and told dispatchers about what was happening and continued to watch.
Before officers arrived, Swing said, the victim tried to escape, but as she got out of the car, Flores caught her and held her. He was still restraining her when officers arrived at the gas station.
Flores was arrested, and the victim was not injured.
Swing said Flores told officers that though he told his girlfriend he was going to take her to Palo Alto, he didn’t intend to. He said he meant to scare her and then return her to her apartment.
