The kidnapped woman called a friend, who contacted law enforcement. The friend used the Find My iPhone app and gave the woman’s location to officials, police said. — Photo by CardMapr.nl on Unsplash
A woman’s friend used an iPhone app to help authorities pinpoint her location after California police say she was kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend.
The woman told police her distraught ex-boyfriend came to her work in El Monte armed with a firearm just before 6pm on Saturday, Nov 2, the El Monte Police Department said in a news release.
He argued with her before the situation “escalated”, police said.
The woman’s ex-boyfriend forced her inside her own car, drove away and didn’t let her leave, according to police.
The woman called a friend, who contacted law enforcement.
The friend used the Find My iPhone app and gave the woman’s location to officials, police said.
Shortly after, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department helicopter spotted the woman’s car on Interstate 5 and alerted the California Highway Patrol, police said.
CHP officers tried to stop the car; however, the driver didn’t stop, leading to a 21-mile pursuit, according to police.
Officers placed spike strips near the 405 Freeway, which made holes in the car’s tires and caused it to stop, police said.
The woman was not harmed, and the ex-boyfriend was taken into custody, police said.
The case will be forwarded to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, which will decide if the man should be charged with kidnapping and felony evading, according to police.
El Monte is about a 14-mile drive east from downtown Los Angeles. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service
