Oakland

Oakland Police Rescue 70-Year-Old Female From Kidnapper in Landlord-Tenant Dispute

Oakland police rescued a 70-year-old woman from her alleged kidnapper after a chase on the freeway and through city streets Monday morning, police said.

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of assault, kidnapping, assault on a police officer and other charges, and the victim was unharmed, police said.

According to police, the incident was connected to a landlord-tenant dispute.

It started in the 600 block of Oak Street and ended in the 3200 block of Lorenzo Avenue in East Oakland, not long after police said the suspect rammed a patrol car.

The tenant, a man in his 30s, had been angry with the woman, whose son also was assaulted before the abduction, police said.

One witness, a man who worked at a nearby auto center, said he noticed a car squealing out of a driveway and driving the wrong way on Oak Street.

"It looked like a car was right in front of him trying to talk to him, and he just reversed and try to back out, and that’s when the cops started chasing after him," Eddie Cheung said.

Oakland police spokeswoman Officer Johnna Watson said a patrol unit saw the vehicle and pursued.

"If officers were just seconds later, they would not have seen the suspect’s vehicle leaving with the kidnapped landlord," Watson said. "The officers again tried to stop the vehicle, and the driver did not stop."

NBC Bay Area's Melissa Colorado contributed to this report.

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