Officers with the Tracy Police Department arrested two East Bay men on kidnapping charges on Friday, March 22, after using a drone and armored vehicle to aid in their capture.
A reported hostage was rescued and treated for minor injuries by private medics and firefighters from the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority.
Around 4:45 p.m. Friday, police responded to a call of a hostage being held at gunpoint in a home in the 1500 block of Lankershire Drive. Patrol officers, detectives and special-investigations unit personnel surrounded the residence and deployed a BearCat Armored Recovery Vehicle.
The police set aloft an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, to gather information on the situation. The drone observed one of the suspects fleeing from the back of the residence, police say. The person was immediately caught and identified as a 26-year-old from Livermore.
Two other people then surrendered to police at the front of the residence — the reported kidnapping victim and a 24-year-old from Oakland.
The two suspects are facing charges that include kidnapping, rape by force/fear, possession of methamphetamine and assault with a deadly weapon.
The police department is asking for people with more information about the case to contact Detective Andrew Glover at 209-831-6607 (Andrew.Glover@TracyPD.com) or Detective Lissette Ortiz at 209-831-6569 (Lissette.Ortiz@TracyPD.com).
Source: www.mercurynews.com